While I'm Alive
by Aint It Fun
Summary: All Rylan Davenport ever wanted was a life of adventure. Moving to a foreign island and starting a new job at Jurassic World seemed like a good place to start. Then enter Owen Grady, a hot shot, impulsive velociraptor trainer at the park. When Owen takes on the challenge of filling Rylan's world with adventure, her life begins to change in a way she never expected.
1. Prologue

**PROLOGUE**

The stench of gasoline burnt my nostrils as I pressed my face into Owen's shoulder, trying to keep from screaming. His arm was wrapped protectively around my shoulders, pulling me close. My heart sounded like it was trying to escape my chest, the way it continued to batter relentlessly against my ribcage. I was shaking. Fear and adrenaline steadily pumping through me. I curled myself closer to him as I felt the warm, decaying breath of the Indominus rex as it snapped it's massive jaws at us, clawing and reaching with it's long talons.

I tried to focus on the rhythm of Owen's heartbeat and his tight, unyielding grip on me. The rows of glistening teeth suddenly vanished, followed by a roar that made my blood curdle and every hair on my body stand on end. I froze, unable to move, unable to breathe. Then, it came back a second time.

This is how I was going to die.


	2. Chapter One

**_Author's Note:_**

 **Well...here it is! Ta da! I've been working on this one for a few weeks now and am so excited to finally be able to share it with the world. As a huge Jurassic Park fan, I was way too excited about Jurassic World. Saw it, loved it, fell in love with Owen, and had to write a story about it. Please, let me know what you think. Updates will be every Monday and Friday unless life gets in the way (which we know it sometimes does). Read, favorite, review, message me! Can't wait to hear what you guys think!**

 **PS- Please don't worry, Life I Left Behind is far from over and will continue. I just needed a change of pace for a minute.**

 **xoxo**

 **-Nikki**

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE**

 _"FOR WHATEVER REASON, MY LIFE WAS GOING TO CHANGE HERE"_

 _SONG TO LISTEN TO:_ UP WE GO _BY_ LIGHTS

"Are you sure this is what you want? It's not too late to back out."

I slid off my sunglasses and perched them on top of my head, simultaneously rolling my eyes. "Come on, Claire. I already got that talk from both my folks. I don't need you doing it too." I watched as she let out a dramatic sigh, one I recognized from years of close friendship. I bit back a grin, knowing it was driving her crazy that she couldn't talk me out of abandoning my old life for this one. I bumped her shoulder playfully with mine. "It'll be fun. Like old times."

"Yeah, except now your parents hate me for influencing you to drop everything and become an islander." She grumbled, lifting one of my duffel bags over her shoulder. "Car is this way." She said, leading the way off the docks and through the excited crowd.

"Would you stop?" I chided her, craning my neck to take in my new, breathtaking surroundings. Blue skies, a wide expanse of clear waters, white beaches, and so much green. How could anyone blame me for choosing _this_? "They know you had nothing to do with it. I made the choice to drop out months ago…you just offered me another option." The crowd thinned out as we made our way to a parking lot near the huge ship. A sleek, expensive looking SUV was glimmering in the sunlight. I let out a low whistle. "Nice ride. The company give you this?"

She shot me a look as she clicked a button on her keychain and the trunk lifted open. "Company car. Not mine, technically speaking."

"Sorta yours." I shot back with a grin. She rolled her eyes at me as we loaded the trunk, but I caught the tiny smile tugging at her lips. She was happy I'd decided to come. I knew it. But if she admitted it, she'd also be admitting she supported my decision to drop out of college. My life had always been a whirlwind of uncertainty and spontaneous decisions and Claire hated it. She was my opposite. Structured, organized, every little detail in place. Yet somehow, we were instant best friends. Yin and yang, or whatever the hell you wanna call it. We just clicked.

"The rest of your stuff will be dropped off later, I talked to the crew." Claire said as we wedged both my duffles into the back of the SUV and slammed the trunk shut. She turned to face me, hands on her hips. She looked every bit the business professional she was, in her tailored gray dress pants and crisp pink blouse, completed by a pair of black pumps. Me, on the other hand, in jeans, a t-shirt, and a battered pair of converse sneakers.

"You don't have to say it, but I know you're happy to see me." I smiled at her, and her lip twitched for a second before she finally relaxed and smiled back at me.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. You wanna see your new place first, or do you want the tour?" She asked, rounding the back of the car towards the driver's side. I climbed in the passenger seat, the leather seats unbearably hot from the tropical sun.

"Let's see this place of mine, drop off my stuff, and then you can show me around." I decided, clicking my seatbelt into place and settling back into my seat.

"Sounds like a plan." Claire agreed, the engine roaring to life as we backed out of the parking space and she steered us onto what looked like one of the only main roads on the island. "Everything you'll need is pretty much located near the park's midway. You'll probably be eating most meals in the cafeteria since there aren't any actual grocery stores on the island. Or anything else for that matter. Unfortunately there's not really much to do here."

I looked at her in surprise. "This is a theme park filled with real, live dinosaurs. How is there nothing to do?"

She gave me an amused smile before turning her eyes back on the road. "Once you've been here a while, the excitement kinda wears off. Most of the attractions will keep you busy for a while, though."

"Hell yeah they will. I can't wait to see me a T-Rex." I slid my sunglasses back on and grinned.

"How did I know you'd be the most excited about that one?" She asked, shaking her head.

I shrugged and propped my feet up on the dash. Claire gave me a pointed look, but I ignored her. "You know me too well."

"True…although I had no idea you were planning on leaving school." She added, carefully as though she was worried I'd be offended by my own decision.

Dust flew from underneath the tires as sped down the dirt road, taking curves and turns without slowing down. I smiled inwardly before answering, thinking about how her driving hadn't changed much. "I was bored. Why waste all that money when I'm not sure what I even wanna do for a living? Better to figure it out this way."

"Yeah, but, I mean what are you gonna figure out tending bar in a Margaritaville?" She asked, her voice purely curious. Not condescending, like the way it sounded when my parents asked me the same question.

"I dunno yet. But anything can happen. I'm not worried about it, Claire, so you don't need to worry either." I assured her.

She let out another sigh. "I know, Rylan, you've always been fine."

It got quiet for a moment as I stared out the window, excitement building in my stomach. Maybe to Claire this place lacked the thrill it had when she first arrived, but this was all new to me. Not just the dinosaur part, but the living on an island in a different country part. I couldn't put a name to the feeling, but something was telling me that this was supposed to happen. That for whatever reason, my life was going to change here.

"So what about you, huh? I know business is booming, but what else? Any attractive men I should know about?" I asked, smirking at her.

Claire narrowed her eyes and I knew what her answer would be before she even said anything. "You know I don't have time for dating. I worked my ass off to get to the top here, not about to throw it away for a man."

I laughed. "So they're all scared of you then?"

She cracked a smile and shot me a proud look. "They call me the ice queen."

This only made me laugh more, which eventually got Claire laughing. When we finally caught our breaths, she glanced at me. "So what about Parker? You guys over then?"

I made a face at the sound of my ex-boyfriend's name. "We've been over for months, Claire. He was the one who couldn't seem to understand that. Thank god this island is so hard to get to, or I'd be worried he'd pull some Romeo and Juliette shit to try and woo me and convince me to get back together with him."

Claire snickered. "Yeah, he was pretty bad."

"Seriously." I groaned, agreeing with her. "A stage five clinger. Don't know how we made it three whole months."

"Me either…I've never seen you let a relationship go on for that long."

"And I could say the same about you." I smirked.

"Touche." Claire said with a big smile.

Just then, we swung onto a different, narrower dirt road. Dozens of mobile homes dotted the grass on either side, some surrounded by neat gardens and patio furniture and others with makeshift chairs from stumps and milk crates. She drove slowly down the road, pulling to a stop in front of a twinkie shaped mobile home, the color of chrome. There was nothing in front but a single set of wooden steps leading up to the door.

"Home sweet home?" I asked, shifting to look at Claire.

She nodded. "Yup, hope you like it."

"It's perfect!"

She gave me a doubtful look and I laughed. "I'm being serious. This is great."

We got out of the car and gathered what belongings I had with me. Claire dropped a silver key into my hand and I led the way to the door. I unlocked and pushed it open, and was met with the smell of fresh paint. The walls were a dull white color, the carpet brown. There was a small kitchen area to my right and a living room furnished with a couch, a coffee table, and a small TV to the left. A small, narrow hallway led to the tiniest bathroom I'd ever seen and a decent sized bedroom with a bed and a dresser.

"Anything else you need, you can just order and it can be shipped here. I know it's not much right now, but I tried to make sure you had at least some stuff." Claire shrugged, dropping my bag near the couch.

I gave her an appreciative smile. "Thanks, you're the best."

"I know." She answered smugly.

I moved into the kitchen and started opening and shutting the cupboards, happy to see most of them were filled with mugs, glasses and plates. Although considering that Claire had said grocery stores were few and far between, I doubted I'd be doing much cooking. Which was fine, considering I was terrible at it.

"So where do you stay? I take it you upgraded from the mobile home brigade?" I asked, leaning against the counter.

Claire shifted uncomfortably. "Well, they gave me an apartment on park premises when I got promoted. It's a part of the hotel."

"Okay, you don't have to act all embarrassed about it. That's amazing, Claire. You deserve it for all the shit you do to keep this place up and running. And anyways, we both know I'm more comfortable here. When I'm in the mood to feel like royalty I can come crash with you." I shrugged.

Claire smiled appreciatively. "I really did miss you, Ry. Your optimism is borderline annoying."

"I take that as a compliment." I said proudly.

"So, should we go take a look around elsewhere? I can introduce you to your manager at the restaurant and show the ropes of getting around. You'll be on your own for dinner, though. I have a business meeting with the heads of the marketing branch."

"Sounds good, I think I can manage on my own. I am a big girl now, you know." I smirked.

"Only some of the time." Claire remarked from over her shoulder as we made our way back outside to the SUV.

I paused to survey my surroundings, shielding my eyes from the sun as I admired the bright blue water of a huge lake that was just a short walk away. The road that lead through the employee housing curved towards it and I could make out an oddly shaped house in the distance. Part mobile home, part beach shack.

"Who the hell lives out there?" I asked curiously, gesturing down the road.

Claire followed my gaze and let out a snort, rolling her eyes. "Oh that's just Owen Grady's private _bungalow_."

"Bungalow?" I repeated and grinned at Claire over my shoulder. "Sounds pretty fancy."

"Yeah, well, it's not. There's nothing fancy about Owen."

"Yeah? You don't sound like a fan." I turned my back on the so-called bungalow and climbed back into the car which was still cool from the air conditioning.

"You'll understand if you ever meet him. He's good at what he does, I'll give him that. Otherwise, he's incredibly irritating."

"I feel like you've said that about me before…" I joked.

"Yeah, well, you rubbed off on me. He didn't." She started the car and we rolled back towards the main road.

"I guess I'll have to see for myself just what this irritating, bungalow dwelling Grady is like." I shrugged, a slight teasing tone to my voice.

Claire let out another snort of laughter, checking her hair in the rearview mirror as we flew towards the park. The excitement I'd been feeling in my stomach ever sense I stepped onto the ship that brought me here seemed to magnify by about a hundred. It felt like I was in a dream. As disappointed at the rest of the people in my life were about my decision, I'd never felt more sure.


	3. Chapter Two

_**Author's Note:**_

 **I know I said I wasn't updating again until Friday, but I couldn't help it. I love this story too much, ugh. Thanks for everyone that followed, favorited, and reviewed. You are much appreciated. I was sort of overwhelmed by how many follows this has already. It makes me super excited to keep writing! For anyone who wanted to know, this story begins about a month or so before the actually events of the movie. Any other questions, feel free to send me a PM. Other than that follow, favorite, review!**

 **xoxo**

 **-Nikki**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO**

 _"IF THERE WAS EVER AN APPROPRIATE TIME TO SAY SOMEONE HAD NICE CHEEKBONES, THIS WAS IT."_

 _SONG TO LISTEN TO:_ WHIRRING _BY_ _THE JOY FORMIDABLE_

My jaw refused to stay shut during the entire tour of the massive park, eyes frozen wide in awe. Claire chattered away the entire time, and I wondered how the hell she had room in her head for all the things she knew about the park. We breezed through the walkways, and she assured me I'd have plenty of time to explore and visit the attractions on my days off. It was like being a kid again, although I'd been told by about a thousand people that I already was a kid trapped in a twenty-five year old's body. Living, breathing dinosaurs. I made sure at some point to say an appropriate prayer to the science gods for allowing the park to exist.

"And finally, this is where you'll be working."

We had made it to the park's midway, where shops and restaurant flourished on either side of the walkway. "Damn, this place is brand-name central. What the hell is a Pandora's doing here?" I asked.

"We cater to everything." Claire shrugged, like this was answer enough.

"Freaking ridiculous." I muttered.

We made our way towards the Margaritaville restaurant, Jimmy Buffet blaring from the speakers. It was mildly crowded for the early evening lull, most of the tables empty and only about half of the bar full. The park would be closing for the night in just a few short, hours. Claire walked towards the bar where a man in a Hawaiian shirt with a peppered beard stood behind the counter.

"Hi Denny! This is my friend, Rylan." She greeted him.

"You mean my new recruit?" He asked in a booming voice. He gave me a big smile and held out his hand. I liked him already.

"Straight from the main land! Nice to meet you!" I grasped his hand in mine.

"Happy to have you, Rylan. Nice to finally put a face to the name." He let go of my hand and went back to wiping down the bar. "You getting settled in?"

I shrugged. "Sorta. Claire's just giving me a quick tour now."

"I told her she'll have plenty of time for exploring when she's not working for you." Claire jumped in and Denny chuckled.

"I'll try not to work you too hard then. I want to make sure you have time to settle in, but how soon can you start?" He asked.

"Tomorrow." I said quickly. Both he and Claire looked at me with surprise. "I wanna get used to this place as soon as I can and the sooner I start working, the sooner it'll feel like home."

Denny looked pleased with me. "My kinda girl. Let me get you a shirt. How's about eleven o'clock for tomorrow?"

"Sounds perfect!" I grinned. He disappeared around the corner of the bar to a back room. I took a moment to take in the different liquor bottles behind on the shelves behind the bar, the brightly colored string of lights strung across the ceiling, and the beer tap handles to my right. I knew I'd feel right at home behind there. That was the great thing about bartending. It was pretty much the same no matter where you went.

A few minutes later, we were leaving the restaurant and I had a pink t-shirt in my hands with the logo blazoned across the front. The park was even less crowded now, the number of people dwindling as the sun went down. A pack of teenagers rushed by, all of them laughing loudly as they raced from one exhibit to the next.

"Don't kill me but I really gotta run to this dinner meeting. It's almost eight now." Claire said, checking the time on phone.

I brushed her off with a wave of my hand. "Please, I'll be fine. I have all of this to entertain me." I gestured around towards the entire theme park I was surrounded by.

Claire smiled, shaking her head. "Yeah, I don't know why I worry. I probably won't be able to see you until tomorrow. But I promise to come check on you during lunch, okay?"

"Sounds good." I stepped forward and pulled her in for a hug. She seemed surprised, but quickly squeezed me back. "Thanks, Claire. I mean it. I know you don't get it, but this is gonna be good for me."

She looked pleased when I finally pulled away. "I know that…I'm just glad you're happy." She gave me one last smile before turning and walking off. She'd had her cell phone to her ear within a few seconds. She had only gone a few steps, though, before turning back around. "I almost forgot! The last T-Rex feeding is in about five minutes!" She pointed in the direction of a set of huge wooden doors.

I felt my eyes go wide. I didn't even bother to yell a thank you to her, racing towards the T-Rex paddock. Inside, there was a thick glass window that spread one side of the room to the other. People were already starting to push up against it, looking eagerly inside. I found a space and squeezed myself in, nearly bouncing up and down on the balls of my feet in excitement while my heart thudded inside my chest.

It wasn't much longer before a live goat was lowered into the pen. It squealed pathetically and if I hadn't been so damn excited I probably would have felt a little sad for it. There was no time, though, because suddenly the entire room was rattling as huge footsteps crushed the ground.

"Holy shit…" I breathed, ignoring the dirty look I received from a nearby parent as I pressed my hands against the glass. The creature in front of me was unlike anything I had ever seen in my entire life. Scaly brown skin, yellow eyes, and a mouth full of razor sharp teeth. All I could think about was how all the pictures I'd seen in science books, all the documentaries I'd watched in school, didn't even do a little bit of justice towards this massive, prehistoric carnivore. A combination of fear and amazement prickled up and down my spine. The tyrannosaurus towered over us and let out a roar that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. "This is so freaking cool."

"You should see the mosasaurus then!" A voice next to me suddenly said. A kid, probably around thirteen, was grinning up at me. His face was flushed with excitement, like mine.

"What the hell is that?" I asked curiously, unashamed at my unfamiliarity with the name.

"Think prehistoric Shamoo, only a hundred times bigger." He explained excitedly. He gestured towards the other side of the park. "It's by the water. The amphitheater is on the boardwalk."

"Thanks, kid!" I grinned at him. I took one last look at the rex behind the glass as it devoured it's bloody meal before taking off at a sprint towards the mosasaurus exhibit. When I finally got there, though, the crowd was just letting out from the last and final showing of the night. I let out a disappointed sigh before sidling up to the glass railing.

"You probably won't be able to see her right now. Mo usually disappears for a while after a feeding." A cheerful voice said from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder to see a girl with shoulder length brown hair beaming at me. She had on a pair of knee-length khaki shorts and a Jurassic World staff shirt. She gestured to the badge around my neck. "You work here? You must be new, I thought I knew everyone here by now." At m confused expression she shrugged. "Small island. You get to know everybody pretty fast. I'm Violet."

"Rylan." I smiled. I gestured towards the tank. "So you work with…Mo here?" I asked, trying out the name she had used for the giant aquatic creature.

"Since the day we put him in the tank." She said proudly. "Although, really, I didn't do much. She knows she gets fed every four hours and is usually pretty good at showing up. That's about as much training as was possible with her. I'm basically just here to make sure things go as planned."

"Still, that's pretty awesome. Wish I could've seen her. I was too busy gawking at the T-Rex." I explained.

"Oh that one still scares the hell out of me." She shivered. "All those teeth."

"But Mo doesn't?" I asked, giving her a small smile. "Doesn't she have just as many?"

She returned it with a sheepish one of her own. "Yeah, that's true. I guess when I look at the T-Rex I just can't help but think about what happened here all those years ago."

It took a second for me to figure out what she meant. "Oh, you mean the first park." I frowned. It had happened when I was still a toddler. Everyone in the world was aware of what had happened, though. It was history. It wasn't until recently that I finally did research on the details of the whole story. One reason why my parents weren't so keen on my decision to work and live on the same island. "Crazy…I definitely don't wanna think about it having free roam of the park."

"Exactly." Violet agreed. "I mean, it's not really realistic to be worried, though. We have the best safety measures in the entire world. It's just the idea that it happened once." I nodded, inching closer to the railing and peering over the side. I couldn't see anything but the deep, dark water. If Mo was stirring underneath, I had no idea. "Have you had dinner yet?" She suddenly asked.

I shook my head and as if on cue, my stomach rumbled and we both laughed. "Well, I didn't think I was hungry until right now."

"I'll show you the way to the cafeteria. We'll be closing soon, too, so I can show you how to get home later. The monorail has a stop right outside the staff housing center. That's where you'll be living, right?"

I nodded and she beamed at me. "Cool, haven't had a new face in a while."

I watched as she finished her closing duties, sitting on the cold metal bench of the stands before following her outside down the boardwalk and back to the midway. A voice came over the loud speaker, announcing that the park was closing for the evening. With night time came a cool breeze, a much needed relief from the sweltering heat of the sun. We disappeared inside of the cafeteria, a huge building near the edge of the park. Food was still spread out under the heat lamps and the salad bar was still open, though the giant room was empty of guests. I supposed it was to make sure all the employees had a chance to eat before going home for the night. We flashed our badges to the man sitting behind the counter and grabbed trays. Once our plates were filled, she led the way through a set of double doors to a smaller, quieter room with tables in rows.

"This is the staff room, where we can eat without being bombarded with questions from guests." She explained, sliding into a seat.

I sat across from her, realizing that even though I'd told Claire I'd be fine, I was grateful for the company. "I don't think I'll ever get used to this place. I mean, even my college didn't have a salad bar."

Violet laughed. "Yeah, well, if your school was anything like mine then the food here is a lot safer too."

I grinned, understanding what she meant completely. I dug into my salad, suddenly starving. "So what kind of work will you be doing here?" She asked.

"I'm bartending at the Margaritaville." I said, in-between mouthfuls. "Not as exciting as being a mosasaurus trainer, but it'll pay the bills." I joked.

"You'll make a ton of money over there." Violet said, spearing a piece of chicken with her fork. "Seriously, the drinks are crazy expensive here and people like to tip. My friend runs the hotdog stand and you would not believe the kind of money people stuff into that tip jar. For a hotdog!"

The double doors to the staff cafeteria suddenly swung open with a loud bang, making me jump. I glanced towards the door to see a man strolling inside, clearly having kicked the doors open. Both his hands were full, a sandwich in one and a bottle of water in the other, and an apple in his mouth. It was a pretty impressive balancing act, almost as impressive as his good looks. His hair was short, a light sandy brown. The same color as the scruffy beard that grew along his strong jaw and over his upper lip. If there was ever an appropriate time to say someone had nice cheek bones, this was it. He had one attractive facial structure, that was for damn sure. His long sleeved gray shirt was covered in dirt, the same with his jeans. Which very tight. Like extremely. I hadn't realized I was still staring until Violet suddenly waved at him.

"Hey, Owen!" She called.

I swiveled my head to look at her with surprise. That was Owen? _The_ Owen Grady that Claire supposedly hated? How? Just…how? I looked back to see his eyes brighten as he caught sight of us and changed directions. He set his water bottle down in between our trays and took the apple from his mouth, chewing and swallowing.

"What's up, Vi? How's Mo?" He asked cheerfully.

"She's fine. Seemed kinda moody today." Violet shrugged. "Took a minute for her to come out for the mid-afternoon feeding. I got worried she was gonna be a no-show."

"Eh, you'll have that. Animals can be pretty temperamental." He added.

"You'd know all about that." She smiled and he flashed her a grin that made my head spin. What the hell was wrong with me? This wasn't the first good looking guy I'd ever seen. Or maybe I'd just resigned myself to the fact that I was going to be on an island where the male species would be limited and his existence had thrown all that off. "Oh, this is Rylan by the way. She's new."

"Hey, Claire's friend right?" He asked, squinting his eyes as he studied me. I shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny. "Although, I wasn't expecting this. Thought the ice queen was recruiting more of her ice friends to keep her company."

I couldn't help but let out a laugh, remembering the conversation Claire and I had had in the car earlier.

"That's not nice, Owen." Violet sighed.

"No, no it's cool." I assured her and smiled up at him. "I knew she seems that way, but honestly you just don't know her that well."

"Well, since I don't really care to I'll leave that up to you. She's made it clear I'm not her cup of tea." Owen stated.

"She might have mentioned that." I admitted.

"Wow, really? I didn't think I registered on her radar anymore." He shook his head. "Well, I better go. Wanna check on the girls one last time before heading home. See ya, and nice meeting you Rylan!"

"You, too." I smiled.

He grabbed up his water bottle, flashing one last smile before placing the apple back in his mouth and disappearing out a set of doors on the opposite side he'd come in through. When he'd left, I glanced back at Violet curiously. "His girls?" I asked. "What, does he have kids or something?"

Violet snorted with laughter, almost spitting out her water. "God no, he means his raptors."

My mouth fell open. "Like…velociraptors?"

"Mmhm. He raised them, kinda like a surrogate mother or something. He says they imprinted on him when they hatched. It's pretty amazing." She explained, her voice sounding impressed. "You should head out to their containment unit if you ever have time. I've seriously never seen anything like him."

"Yeah, I can imagine." I agreed, and even I wasn't sure which part of him I was referring to.


	4. Chapter Three

_**Author's Note:**_

 **Chapter three! I'll keep this short...for future reference I've changed certain scenes around and adjusted them to fit my needs. Right now, we're still got** **a lot** **of time before the events of the movie. So that's all! Thanks for the love!**

 **xoxo**

 **-Nikki**

* * *

 _ **CHAPTER THREE**_

 _"DAMN THAT SMILE. IT WASN'T EVEN FAIR, THAT THING WAS LIKE A WEAPON"_

 _SONG TO LISTEN TO:_ COME AND GET YOUR LOVE _BY_ _REDBONE_

I sat back in my cushy seat as the monorail sped along the track. Outside the window, I could just make out some of the exhibits below. The height we were at made the dinosaurs that were normally huge look like tiny ants. I was amped for my first day, sporting my pink Margaritaville t-shirt, my blonde hair combed into a quick braid that hung down my back. I grinned to myself, thinking about how two weeks ago I'd been sitting in a stuffy lecture hall and now I was here. Honestly, and everyone thought I had made a mistake.

The monorail slowed to a stop at the Main Street exit and I got off, along with about a dozen other employees. The park was already buzzing with guests, despite the fact that the doors had just opened. I weaved my way through the crowd towards the restaurant. Denny greeted me at the bar yet again and didn't hesitate to put me to work. Once we got busy, it was easy to get into the swing of things. Beer, martini, rum and coke, margarita. About a dozen more margaritas. By mid-afternoon, I reeked of tequila and estimated I'd made about thirty margaritas altogether.

I wiped the sweat from my brow with the back of my hand. The bar faced the opened seating area that led to the patio. So no air conditioning. I was wishing I had worn shorts instead of my jeans when Claire's smiling face suddenly appeared on the other side of the bar.

"How goes it?" She asked with a smile, sliding onto a stool.

"Well, I'm sweating and I stink of alcohol. So pretty good." I answered, shooting her a grin. "You want a drink? I make a kick-ass margarita, or so I've been told."

She made a face. "The last time I had one of your margaritas, I was puking the entire next day."

"That's because you didn't have just one, you had like five of them." I reminded her.

Her skin tinged a little green at the memory, which had been years ago during the summer in which we both had turned twenty-one. "Yeah, I try not to think about it. Anyways, no tequila for me. I'm on a diet."

I frowned at her. "That sounds like the worst diet ever. Not like you need one anyways. You're tiny." I shook my head. "A life without tequila is a very sad one."

She looked like she wanted to disagree but thought better of it. "I better get back to work, I just wanted to stop by and say hi. What're you doing later?"

"Probably gonna try and see some more of the attractions. I met the girl who does the mosasaurus show last night, so I wanna check that out."

"Oh, Violet? She's so sweet!" Claire said. "She-"

"Oh shit!" The words popped out of my mouth as I suddenly remembered who else I had met the previous night. Claire raised her eyebrows at me. I felt one side of my mouth lift in a smile. "You failed to mention that the infamous Owen Grady is also the most attractive man in Central America."

Claire scoffed. "Come on, there's no way you know that for sure."

I laughed, enjoying her irritation. "Yeah, well, at this point to me he is. He didn't seem so bad."

"That's because you probably only talked to him for five seconds. And you don't work with him and constantly have to remind him to file his paperwork and do what he's supposed to do." She shot back.

I gave her a cheeky grin. "Lucky me then."

She rolled her eyes. "Don't be fooled by the _boyish_ charm. It seems I'm the only one immune to it."

"Oh come on!" I protested. "I just said he was good looking! I'm not about to jump into bed with the guy! I just like pissing you off." I reached across the bar and nudged her shoulder.

"You're lucky I consider you my best friend." She said, shaking her head.

I held a hand over my heart. "An honor I take most seriously."

She tried to hold it back, but the next second she was smiling at me. "Don't push me, Rylan. I gotta go. Big meeting today. Wish me luck?"

"How about a tequila shot for luck?" I teased.

Claire flicked a discarded straw wrapped across the bar at me before sliding off her stool. She waved at me from the door before exiting out of the gate that attached to the patio. I wiped my hands on a towel, shaking my head, just in time as another order for three more drinks popped up.

* * *

I shook off my exhaustion at the end of my shift and headed across Main Street, in the direction of the mosasaurus exhibit. Sliding my purse strap over my shoulder, I checked the time on my phone. Plenty of time to have some fun before dinner and home. I slipped my phone back into my pocket. I headed straight for the mosasaurus four o'clock feeding, the stands already packed. I squeezed into a spot near the front, voices chattering all around me excitedly. My knee bounced up and down in anticipation. Violet's voice suddenly boomed from a speaker.

"Welcome to Jurassic World! Is everyone having a good time?" She called out. I searched for her and finally spotted her on a raised podium near the very front of the stands. The crowd roared it's approval. "Alright, well I'd like to introduce you to my friend Mo! Mo is a mosasaurus, a sea dwelling carnivore! At about sixty feet long and five tons, it's no surprised these guys once ruled the ocean!"

Just then, a shark was lowered over the tank. A very big, very dead shark. Before I had time to process just how big it was, a huge, massive creature suddenly exploded from the surface of the water and snapped the entire shark into it's massive jaws. The shark had looked like a tiny little toy compared to Mo, which then in turn had made me feel very small. The crowd thundered and I found myself clapping along with them as Mo crashed back into the water and a huge wave splashed over us.

I laughed, wiping water from my eyes as the stands suddenly lowered and we were given another look at Mo from below the surface. The air was cool below, the light surrounding us a dim shade of blue from the water in the tank. My eyes were glued to the glass as Mo attacked and snapped at her prey. It was simultaneously the most terrifying and coolest thing I'd ever seen, much like the way I'd felt when I'd watched the tyrannosaurus feed the night before. And even weirder to think that once upon a time, these things had inhabited all the oceans.

Violet continued to talk over the loudspeaker, her voice excited and upbeat despite the fact that she went through the same speech every couple of hours when Mo had another show. When the show had finally ended and the seats were back at the surface, I waited until the crowd cleared to find her.

"Hey!" I greeted her. "That was amazing!"

She grinned when she saw me, stepping down off her podium. "I see you got a front row seat." She gestured to my soaked clothes.

"Yeah, with this heat they'll be dry in about ten minutes." I said, pushing back a damp strand of hair that had escaped my braid. "So I wanted to see the raptors but I heard they're offsite. No visitors allowed?"

Violet waved her hand. "Yeah, but you're not a visitor. You're an employee." She gestured to my badge with a mischievous glint in her eyes. When I gave her an uncertain look she prodded me towards the exit. "Seriously, hop on one of the park's four wheelers and go. Owen and the other guys out there are really nice. They won't mind you watching as long as you stay out of the way."

"Okay, okay. Fine." I caved. "How do I get there?"

Violet tugged me towards a park map and explained how to get there from the main road, making sure to mention where I could borrow a four wheeler for the afternoon. About fifteen minutes later, I was speeding down a dirt road towards the raptor paddock . Claire called all the attractions with animals 'asset containment units' but the word asset sounded strange to me. They were animals, not things.

I pressed harder on the four wheeler's throttle and shot forward. I let out a whoop of excitement. I had assured the guy who had given me the keys at the staff garage that I knew how to drive it. Even though I'd never been on one in my life. It only took a few minutes to get used to how it worked. I liked the speed and the freedom of it, as scenery flashed by and wind whipped my clothing. By the time I finally made it to the paddock, I was completely dry. I turned off the engine and tucked the key into my pocket.

As I climbed off the four wheeler, I couldn't help but to stare at the cage in awe. The walls were huge, at least forty feet high and made of what looked like solid steel. A metal staircase led up the side of the cage to a walkway that appeared to criss cross in the very center of the octagon shaped enclosure.

"Can I help you?" A voice asked.

The accent was unfamiliar and I glanced around before finding the source of the voice. A dark skinned man was walking towards me, wearing a curious but guarded expression. I quickly showed him my badge. "Hi, sorry. I met Owen yesterday and was just curious about the raptors. Someone told me it'd be okay to stop by, as long as I stayed out of the way?" I ended my explanation, searching his face for a sign that it was okay to be here. "I'm also a friend of Claire Dearing."

When he suddenly smiled, I relaxed. "Claire! Yes, we know her well around here." He said, and there was a sarcastic note in his voice and I thought back to what Claire had said about constantly harassing Owen to file his paperwork on time. "And you are?"

"Rylan." I said, shaking his hand.

"I'm Barry. Come on up, Owen's just finishing up with the girls. He's working on getting them to recognize more vocal cues." He placed a hand on the small of my back guiding me towards the stairs.

"Wait, he's what?" I asked, swiveling my head to look at Barry with wide eyes.

Barry let out a loud laugh, a contagious sound. "He's crazy, I know."

I swallowed the rest of my questions for later as I climbed the metal stairs towards the top. Barry gestured for me to go out onto the walkway. Over the center of the cage, where the walkways crossed, was Owen Grady. A low snarl suddenly caught my attention and I gazed over the railing into the cage. My breath caught in my throat. Four raptors stood underneath the metal walkway, yellow eyes trained on Owen. Even from where I was standing overhead, I could see the length of their glistening claws and the sharp teeth that flashed from inside their strong jaws.

My heart thundered against my chest. "Do they actual listen to him?"

Barry gave me a wry smile. "Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. They're wild animals. Just watch, though. He knows what he's doing."

"Okay, eyes on me." Owen was saying in a strong, calm voice.

He had something in his hand that clicked every time he pressed his fingers together. The animals below followed his every movement. One of the raptors caught my eye, a bright blue streak of color on its side that run from neck to tail. It let out a loud screech, but Owen looked unfazed, never losing his ground. Never taking his eyes off of any of the four.

"Blue, watch it." He warned, moving slowly across the narrow walkway. One of the other four raptors leapt out of formation, letting out vicious yelp. "Delta, Lock it up!" He paused and waited for all four of the animals to be still. "And we're moving!"

I watched in awe as the raptors followed him from underneath the catwalk with their deliberate, predatory movements. Owen stopped in front of a metal bucket hanging over the railing. He reached his inside and pulled out a dead rat. He raised it in the air before tossing it over the side. One of them eagerly snapped it up in their jaws. Each waited in anticipation for a rat to be fed to them. "Good. Blue, this one's for you." He threw the last rat down to the raptor with the unusual streak of color. No doubt the reason for it's name.

Suddenly, Owen raised his hands in the air. "Eyes up." I felt my jaw drop when each of their heads tilted back, reptilian eyes trained on him. "And go!" He dropped his hands and the pack took off, racing towards the opposite end of the cage. Owen watched them go, a triumphant smile on his face.

"Holy shit." I breathed. I heard Barry chuckle from next to me.

Owen let out a high pitched whistle and the raptors took off sprinting in the opposite direction. As soon as they were gone, a huge grin broke out across his face, clearly pleased with himself and his raptors.

"You okay?" Barry asked, giving me an amused smile. I realized I had been gripping the railing so tightly that my knuckles were white. I quickly pushed my arms back to my sides.

"Yeah, definitely. Just…wasn't expecting that." I said, still in awe.

"The first time I saw it, I had the same reaction. Come on."

Barry led me towards Owen, clapping him proudly on the back. "That was one hell of a show, man!"

"They're getting better, Barry!" He exclaimed excitedly. "Huge improvement from last week." He seemed to suddenly notice I was there and looked at me in surprise. "Rylan, right?"

"Yeah, sorry to just sort of show up but everyone was talking you up big time. Had to see it for myself." I smiled at him.

He grinned back at me, running a hand through his hair. "And here I was thinking everybody just thought I was crazy."

"That's probably also true." I laughed. A series of snarls suddenly came from the cage and the three of us looked below to see the raptors nipping at each other.

"Hey, hey! Cut that out, girls!" Owen shouted at the pack. One of them, I wasn't sure which, lifted it's head and tilted it curiously at Owen before going right back to scuffling with it's siblings. Owen rolled his eyes. "Never wanna listen when it comes to that shit."

He had a fondness in his voice when he talked about them, and I was even more shocked that I found it strangely endearing. "What're all their names?"

"Delta, Charlie, Echo, and Blue." He said proudly, leading the way across the platform and back down the staircase. "Blue's the beta."

I smirked at him. "And let me guess, you're the alpha?"

He gave me a cocky grin as Barry rolled his eyes. "Hell yeah, I am."

"And on that note, I'm off to dinner. It was nice meeting you, Rylan." Barry said, giving me a smile, before turning and heading towards one of the four wheelers parked nearby.

Owen and I were suddenly alone and I felt an annoying twinge in my stomach at the thought. Jesus, I was like a school girl. "So you've been working with the raptors since they hatched?" I asked.

"Yeah, it was my idea. Figured might have a better shot at interacting with them if I was the first face they saw." He answered, leaning back against a parked construction truck. His eyes, a spectacular shade of cerulean, appraised me in a shamelessly curious way. I could tell he was trying to figure me out. "Where did you say you work here?"

"At the Margaritaville. Today was my first day." I answered, shifting my weight from one foot to the other. I was starting to feel warm again now that I was dry.

Owen's face lit up. "I know the place…love me some tequila."

"Who doesn't?" I agreed with a grin. "A necessary staple of any sane person's diet."

He smiled back at me and I felt my stomach twisting itself into some pretty impressive knots. He had to know he had this effect on women. It was like some sort of special gift. Not since I was in high school had I ever felt even the slightest bit nervous or flustered in the presence of a member of the opposite sex. At least I'd never been so aware of it. I cleared my throat, realizing we were still standing there staring at each other. "I guess I better head to dinner, too. See you around?" I asked, taking a few steps backwards in the direction of my borrowed four wheeler.

"Hope so." He answered, not even missing a beat. Still smiling at me. Damn that smile. It wasn't even fair, that thing was like a weapon. One that turned knees to jelly and made women who were normally unaffected by such silly things fluster like a kid at their first school dance. I turned my back to him, hoping he had't had any time to process the expression on my face. I needed to get my shit together or I was in trouble.


	5. Chapter Four

**CHAPTER FOUR**

 _"BECAUSE SWOONING SEEMED LIKE AN APPROPRIATE WORD FOR THE WAY I'D FELT WHEN I HAD BEEN FACE TO FACE WITH HIS BROAD CHEST"_

 _SONG TO LISTEN TO:_ I WANT WHAT YOU HAVE _BY_ _WILLAMETTE STONE_

* * *

My first week on the island flew by in a whirlwind of busy work shifts and theme park exploration. I'd seen most, if not all, of the attractions at least once. My favorite was still Mo. After a lot of convincing, I'd finally convinced Claire it was totally find to show me the impressive, fancy control room with all it's screens, buttons, and other gizmos. She was busy constantly, which was why it probably hadn't been so hard to break her down about filling me in on the behind the scenes stuff. We hardly saw each other unless it was for some dinner here, a coffee there, or a quick 'hey I'm just passing by' wave. Any free time I had outside the park was usually spent reading in my new plastic lawn chair outside my trailer, trying to figure out how to get things sent to me from Amazon (my Isla Nubar address seemed to cause confusion for a lot of vendors), or sometimes hanging out with Violet. I'd only seen Owen once or twice in passing since the night I'd first met him. Apparently playing parent to a pack of raptors kept him pretty busy.

Which was why I hadn't expected it when he walked in through the doors of Margaritaville, just after my last customers had finally drifted out. I was used to us being one of the last restaurants opened on Main Street now. A lot of the other park employees often stopped by for drinks after their shifts were up. This, though, was the first time I'd ever seen Owen set foot inside.

"Hey, new girl." He greeted, giving me a smile.

I glanced up from polishing a pint glass, surprised to see him. "Hey! What the hell are you doing here?"

He perked an eyebrow. "I kinda work here, remember? Why, should I not be here?"

"No, just never seen you here before." I said with a shrug.

"Well, you have only been working here for like a week…" He teased, his voice trailing off. He shot me one of his cheeky grins and I rolled my eyes.

"You know, we are _technically_ closed so I could _technically_ refuse you service." I said in mock seriousness. "If you're gonna get an attitude with me."

"What attitude? I don't see any attitude. I just came in for some tequila. Had a hard day, you know how that is. My co-workers have lots of sharp teeth and claws, and it's a little bit terrifying when they get pissed off." He propped his elbows up on the bar, resting his chin both his hands like the way a little kid would.

I smiled, shaking my head. "Alright, alright. One shot it is. Patron, Jose…what's your poison?" I pulled out a clear shot glass from the shelf underneath the bar and slid it towards him.

"Better give me the Patron." He said, reaching for the shot glass and twirling it in his hand. I grabbed the bottle from the shelf behind me. I made to grab the shot glass from him, but he suddenly pulled it back. It was my turn to raise an eyebrow at him. "You know, on second thought, you probably should have one too. It's not healthy to drink alone, and all that crap."

"I wish, but I'm still on the clock." I reminded him, leaning against the bar.

Owen shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, but you're _technically_ closed. You did just say that, didn't you?" He gave me a playful smile. "Come on, I'm not gonna tell. You need it, you worked all day too."

I chewed my lower lip, drumming my fingers on the bar. Then I shot a quick glance over my shoulder, making sure I was still alone while the closing server cleaned up the inside dining room, before pulling out a second shot glass. Owen's grin grew as I poured two shots of the clear liquid.

"I knew you were a badass!"

"Shut up and drink before I get in trouble." I raised my shot glass to his, and my eyes met his blue ones as our glasses clinked. I put the glass to my lips and tilted my head back, letting the warm liquid burn it's way down my throat. The instant it hit my stomach I was warmed from the inside out. I made a face, scrunching my noise. "Ugh."

"Yup, agreed. Still tastes like regret." He said, sliding the glass towards me. "The good kind, though."

I gave him a doubtful look. "There's a good kind of regret?"

"Absolutely." One side of his mouth had turned upwards in a crooked grin. He stood from his stool and reached into his pocket, sliding a twenty dollar bill towards me. "Keep whatever the change is."

"Thanks!" I called after him, as he walked out of the bar without an actual goodbye. When he had disappeared from view, I glanced down at our two empty shot glasses, shaking my head. If only Claire could see me now.

* * *

About an hour later I was collapsing onto my couch, laying on my back and plopping my legs up onto the far armrest. My phone let out a high pitched beep from purse. I snatched the bag off of the coffee table, digging around inside until I felt the familiar rectangular object beneath my fingers. I hadn't looked at it once since l'd clocked in for work that morning, too busy to even think about it and too preoccupied on the train ride home, thinking about my unexpected tequila encounter with Owen Grady.

I let out a groan as I scrolled through my missed call list. One from my mom, which I'd return tomorrow since she was probably in bed at this point. Then one from my ex-boyfriend who just couldn't seem to let go. I made a face when I clicked the voicemail option and heard his voice.

 _"_ _Hey Rylan, it's Parker."_

I rolled my eyes. Well no shit, like I wouldn't recognize his voice or the missed call notification that said 'MISSED CALL FROM PARKER'.

 _"_ _Just wanted to check in and make sure you made it to the island okay. Haven't heard from you in a while. *Loud sigh*. Listen, call me back if you can. I really think we should talk. I know you said you didn't wanna do the long distance thing but-"_

 **MESSAGE DELETED.**

I tossed the phone onto the coffee table with a clatter, letting out another annoyed groan as I pressed my palms against my eyelids. The dude seriously could not take a hint. Long distance had been one reason, but the other, as I had clearly told him, was because I didn't feel any real chemistry between us. I had never felt…attached. In the entire three months we'd been dating, there was never a point where I was convinced I was with the right person. There was never that spark, that lightning strike moment, everyone says you're supposed to feel. If that was a real thing that even existed.

I thought about getting up and going to the fridge for a beer when I remembered it was sadly very empty. Instead, I opted for fresh air. I shoved my feet into my sneakers and stepped outside into the warm, tropical air. The sun had already set, and my breath caught in my through as I looked up at the vast blanket of stars overhead. It reminded me of home for a second, of those nights spent outdoors, curled up under a blanket on the porch swing. Only this was about a thousand times better. The only lights came from whatever ones they left on in the park in the distance and the small square windows of the mobile homes. Nothing to dim or mask the brightness of the stars.

Across the mobile housing park, the lake water sparkled under the moon. I headed in that direction, drawn by the fresh smell of the water, fresh and untainted by a city's harsh pollutants. A cool breeze suddenly swept past, rustling the tall grass at the edge of the road. Using my phone as a flashlight, I stepped off the path and walked to the edge of the grass, where inky black water just touched the edge of the shoreline. The surface of the water rippled with the breeze, and the deep croak of a frog came from my right before it splashed into the water. I wondered what other kind of underwater life existed in the depths. It was a stupid, irrational thought that made no sense, but I had a mental image of another Mo gliding along the bottom of the lake. I shivered and wrapped my arms around my middle.

A light caught my eye and I glanced in the direction of Owen's place, which Claire had pointed out when I'd first moved in. An extremely bright, fluorescent porch light shed a glow across his yard, along with what looked like a string of white christmas lights strung across the wooden porch.

A door suddenly slammed and Owen appeared from inside his house, descending the porch steps down to the lawn. For the first time in my life, at least for the first time I'd actually ever caught myself doing it, I did a double take. Because Owen Grady had just in fact emerged from his house completely shirtless. Even from where I was standing, which was a decent distance away, he looked like he was in good shape. Very good shape. I watched as he tipped back a bottle of something before disappearing around the other side of the house.

I looked back towards the dark water in front of me, watching as the tale of a small fish broke the surface, causing a wave of ripples. I debated whether to walk over to Owen's and say hello, or to just go back to my house and call it a night. Mostly, I was debating whether or not it would be weird if I unexpectedly showed up at his house. We barely knew each other at that point. But then again he had just showed up the bar that night and talked me into a shot with him. What was there to lose? Before I could change my mind, I veered off in the direction of Owen's bungalow.

He was sitting on a black milk crate, his back to me as he worked on a motorcycle. Sweat glistened and rolled down his muscled shoulders. I forced my eyes towards the bike, which didn't look like much at the moment.

"Hey." I greeted, walking around him to get a better look at the bike.

His head snapped up at the sound of my voice, his face relaxing when he saw it was me. "Hey, where'd you come from?"

"Originally or just now?" I asked, a small smile tugging one side of of my mouth.

"Ha, ha." He said sarcastically. "So you're a smart ass, huh? Duly noted." He stood up, wiping his greasy hands on a rag from his back pocket. "How about both?"

I was suddenly face level with his chest, a patch of golden colored hair starting at his chest and trailing in a line down to his belly button. A very muscular, tan chest. It was only a split second, but I felt my face flush from gawking. I quickly averted my eyes to his and realized he was still waiting for an answer.

"Well, I was born in Colorado and just now came from my place which is like one hundred yards that way." I gestured vaguely over my shoulder in the direction of my trailer. "I just came out here to get some fresh air, and was admiring your bungalow from the distance." I smiled. It was a half truth. I had been admiring something, but it certainly wasn't his house.

Owen smiled back before glancing appreciatively at his home. "Yeah, it's pretty sweet, right? Built on the addition myself. You wanna beer?" He suddenly asked.

I tried to mask my surprise, since I hadn't been expecting him to want company. "Sure, whadya got?"

He took the porch steps in two giant strides, throwing open a mini fridge that had been plugged in outside. "Coors, or Miller High Life. Only the best for you, new girl."

A laugh escaped me. "Better make it a High Life then."

He dug a can out and tossed it to me over the railing. "Good choice, it is the champagne of beers after all."

I popped the top and took a long sip, letting the cool liquid run down my throat. Nothing had I ever tasted so perfect. I sank down onto the top porch step as Owen set his own beer bottle down next to me. He pulled on a long sleeved blue shirt that had been draped across the railing, tugging it over his toned stomach. "So Colorado, huh? What part?"

I scooted over as he sat down next to me, picking his drink back up. "Born and raised right outside of Denver. What about you?"

"Florida. Travelled around a lot, though, before getting into the Navy." He tipped his beer against his lips before continuing. "Then, somehow I ended up here training velociraptors." He let out an amused laugh, like it was still surreal to even him.

"Yeah, how does that work exactly? How does one go from being in the Navy to doing a job like yours?" I asked, genuinely curious since it was such a strange change of occupation.

Owen let out a sigh, leaning forward. "I think, because it's a dangerous job, they wanted somebody used to putting their life on the line. And then I guess I was the first one crazy enough to accept it."

I nodded. "I guess that makes a little more sense. I mean, you have to have pretty big balls to get up close and personal with a raptor."

"Yeah, but you probably gotta have decent sized balls to begin with to wanna come to a theme park filled with things that would eat you for breakfast if they had the chance." He shot back.

"Truth." I laughed. "So it's safe to assume that between the two of us, we have at least one set of moderately sized balls."

Owen snorted. "Are you sure your friends with Claire? Because you don't seem anything like her."

I shook my head, my lips twitching. If I only had a dollar for every time I'd heard those exact words, I'd be a billionaire. "I'm not. I mean, we're both two very different people that somehow just click. We've been friends since the third grade."

Owen let out a low, impressed whistle. "I promise I'm not intentionally trying to be offensive, but she hasn't driven you crazy yet with all her lists and itineraries and scary organizational skills? Because that made me afraid."

"That stuff has never bothered me. It's just one of her weird quirks, just like we all have things we do that other people think are weird." I shrugged.

"So it's normal for her to print out an itinerary for a date?" He asked casually, shooting me an amused look.

I furrowed my eyebrows together, beer bottle frozen halfway to my mouth. "Wait, wait, wait…you and Claire? Went on a date?" I asked incredulously. "She sure as hell didn't mention that when you came up!"

Owen chuckled. "Yeah, not surprised considering it was the worst date ever and didn't even last an hour. I mean, what kind of diet doesn't allow you to have tequila?" He asked, giving me a quizzical look.

I bursted into laughter, doubling over. "Oh my god, I seriously just had this conversation with her today."

"Seriously? So I'm not the only one who thought that was weird?" He asked, one side of his mouth quirking upwards in a smile.

"No! That's just Claire!" I shook my head, smiling fondly as I thought my best friend. I couldn't wait to ask her about her date with Owen. No wonder she was so against me voicing any sort of attraction to him at all. "I guess it makes sense now why she was warning me against falling for your boyish charm. Oh man, I'm gonna have so much fun bringing this up with her tomorrow."

"She said I have a boyish charm?" He asked in mild surprise. "I was going for more of dashing, rogue hero kind of charm but I'll take it."

I shook my head before downing another sip of beer. "Practice makes perfect."

He shifted his body so he was angled towards me, leaning back against the wooden railing. "So hold on, how did this conversation about me and my charm come up?"

I felt my cheeks suddenly heat up and hoped it wasn't noticeable. I shrugged, trying to look indifferent. "I mentioned to her that I met you the other day and that was her first warning to me."

He cocked an eyebrow at me. "Are you sure? In my head, the conversation went more along the line of you swooning over my rugged good looks and Claire warning you against the evilness of my charm."

"Swooning? No, no no. I don't swoon, Grady." I assured him, shooting him a smile.

"Are you sure? I assumed that's what you were doing when you walked over here and caught me working on my bike in the half nude." I nearly spit out the mouthful of beer had I just taken and Owen looked pleased with my reaction. "I'll take that as a yes."

"And you would be sorely mistaken." I recovered smoothly. Which was a huge lie, because swooning seemed like an appropriate word for the way I'd felt when I had been face to face with his broad chest. He didn't need to know that, though. "You know, I think I'm starting to see what Claire meant about you." I teased.

He placed a hand over his chest, pretending to look wounded. "Ouch."

I grinned before finishing my last sip of beer and setting the empty bottle on the steps between us. "And that's my cue to call it a night." I stood up, stretching my arms over my head. "Thanks for the drink." I said, looking down at Owen who was watching me with that same curious expression he'd been wearing when I'd spoken to him at the raptor cage.

"You sure you don't wanna another one?" He offered.

"No, maybe another time. Another drink and I might start doing that swooning thing you were talking about." I joked, as I took a few steps backwards in the direction of home.

"That doesn't sound like such a bad thing." He argued, wearing that same devious grin he'd had on when he convinced me to take a shot with him earlier in the night

"Good night, Owen!" I waved at him, signaling the end of our conversation. I pivoted on my heel, a smile still on my face as I walked away. I could hear him laughing from behind me.


	6. Chapter Five

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_

 **Hello my people! I just have a few quick words...I'm leaving for a week on Sunday so I've decided to just post another chapter before I leave either tomorrow night or Saturday morning and then I'll post another chapter the Sunday I get back to make up for being gone. Cool? Cool. Also, I just wanna say how happy and appreciative I am of you guys. All of the reviews, favorites and follows are awesome! I'm kinda obsessed with Rylan and Owen soooo. There's gonna be a fair amount of fluff in here before things get serious. Sorry not sorry.**

 **That's all. You guys are the best! Leave me a review!**

 **-Nikki**

* * *

 **CHAPTER FIVE**

 _"EVEN MORE IMPOSSIBLE TO IGNORE WAS THE WAY HE SMELLED, LIKE SWEAT AND DIRT BUT WITH AN UNDERLYING HINT OF SOMETHING THAT REMINDED ME OF PEPPERMINT"_

 _SONG TO LISTEN TO_ : MOLECULES BY _ATLAST GENIUS_

The next day, I headed to the control room with two cups of Starbucks coffee in my hands. I side stepped a pair of a kids, not much older than six or seven, as they rushed past me in their hurry to get to the dinosaur hologram that took center stage in the visitor's center. Their parents smiled apologetically at me as they hurried to keep up with them. Crowds were pressed against the glass on either side of the long hallway, watching as the scientists worked, looking every bit the part in their white lab coats and protective goggles. It was still a mystery to me how they did what they did. I had had the pleasure of meeting Henry Wu, the man in charge of the labs, and his explanation hadn't helped much. All those scienc-y techno-jargon words went right over my head.

I pressed the button to the elevator and the doors whooshed open immediately, revealing the empty interior. I stepped inside and pressed the button I had remembered Claire using when she had first shown me around. The ride up was silent, no music to fill the emptiness which I preferred. Most forms of elevator music gave me a headache anyways. The elevator 'pinged' when I finally reached my floor and the doors slid open to reveal a tall, burly looking security guard in a clean, black suit.

"Identification, miss?" He asked.

I nodded towards the employee badge around my neck. "Um, I'm here to see Claire?" God, why did I always do that? End sentences like they were a question when they weren't supposed to be?

"It's okay, you can let her in!" Claire's familiar voice came from behind him. He stepped out of the way just as Claire appeared, looking incredibly put together as usual in her red pencil skirt and white top. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw the coffee cups in my hands. "Thank god, you're a life saver."

"I know." I said simply, passing her the steaming cup.

I followed her further into the control room, still unable to keep from gawking at the giant screen that took up one entire wall. Dozens of people busied themselves in front of their desks, chattering in headphones and swiping their fingers on their touch screen monitors.

"Hey! It's Claire's friend!" One of them swiveled in their chairs to greet me. I remembered him clearly from the first day we met, probably due to the banter between him and Claire about cleaning up his work space. He hadn't listened, as it was still chaotic and messy. The only neat part about it was the line of little dinosaur figurines strategically placed at the edge of the table.

"Her name is Rylan, Lowery." Claire corrected him, coming to stand next to his desk. Her arms were crossed over her chest as her eyes flickered between the different screens on the wall.

"Is that a Power Rangers shirt?" I asked, squinting at the red t-shirt just peeking out from underneath his plaid button up.

"Oh this?" He glanced down at his shirt before grinning up at me. "Yeah, it's awesome. Some guy from Craig's List shipped it to me last week. Cost me a fortune, but worth it."

"Apparently Lowery has quite the impressive collection of shirts." The girl sitting next to him commented. She had long light brown hair and smiled up me with huge blue eyes. Vivian, I remembered.

"I wasn't sure anything could be more impressive than his dinosaur toys." Claire said sarcastically. I stifled a laugh before shooting an apologetic smile to Lowery as he frowned at Claire.

"So what' the big news today? What do all these numbers mean?" I asked, pointing at the screen as I took a sip of coffee.

"Well, so far today it seems were at about 16,000 visitors. It's still pretty early so I expect we'll get at least a couple hundred more before the day is over." Claire said proudly. She had a glint in her eye that reminded me of how hard she had worked for this job. People mistook her ambition for hostility. I, on the other hand, thought it made her fierce.

"That's a lot of people." I said, impressed.

"What's even more impressive is that all the dinosaurs are exactly where they're supposed to be right now." Lowery added, zooming out so I could see hundreds of blinking red tags in different areas of the park, which I assumed were the dinosaur's trackers.

"You mean they get out sometimes?" I glanced at Claire with wide eyes and she sighed.

"Sometimes they venture into units they don't belong in, yes, but none of them have ever 'escaped' if that's what you're asking." She assured me.

"Some of the dinos have this thing where they headbutt each other and short circuit their trackers, which are supposed to zap them every time they get too close to the fencing." Vivian explained to me.

"We're still working on how to deal with that. I have to meet Masrani in a few. Walk with me?" She asked.

"Sure." I nodded. I waved goodbye to Lowery and Vivian before stepping into the elevator with Claire. Once the doors had shut, I turned to her, placing one hand on my hip. "So it seems you have some explaining to do."

Her eyebrows furrowed together. "About?"

I took another drink from my cup as she stared at me expectantly. "Oh you know, just how you failed to mention how you and Owen went on a…whatdya call that thing where males and females get together and partake in fun activities? Oh yeah! A date!" I gave her a big grin as she flushed red, becoming flustered.

"Well, I wouldn't exactly call that a date! I mean, the man showed up wearing board shorts for christ's sake!" She defended herself. The elevator 'pinged' and we stepped off at the top floor, headed for her office. "Did he tell you that? Why were you talking to him about that anyways?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I dunno, I got to talking to him last night and it just sort of came up. Anyways, I was just surprised you hadn't mentioned it at all."

Claire let out a loud sigh as she strolled into her office and gathered up a sleek, black folder that had been laid out on her desk. "I didn't think it was important." Suddenly she froze, turning to face me with wide eyes. "Wait a second, you're not thinking about going out with him are you?"

I shook my head quickly. "No! Hell no! Nothing like that…He seems okay to me, though. But I do get what you mean. He can be very…" I trailed off, twirling my hand in the air as I searched for the right word.

"Cocky?" Claire offered, perking an eyebrow. "Abrasive? Irritating?"

"Cocky." I agreed, giving her a grin.

She tucked the folder underneath her arm and leaned back against the desk while I perched myself onto the arm rest of one the black leather chairs in the room. "I mean, I guess if you did ever want to go out with him, I wouldn't care. I just wouldn't understand why." She shrugged.

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks for the permission, _mom_."

Claire smiled. "Don't you forget it."

I let out laugh, settling back against the chair. "Anyways, now that I've had my fun harassing you about that, what about dinner tonight? You free?"

"I'm not sure…are you gonna wear board shorts?" She asked, feigning curiosity with her eyebrows furrowed together.

I threw back my head, letting out a loud laugh. "If I had some. See, you got jokes! I always tell people you're funny but they never believe me."

"That's because they're too busy thinking of me as an uptight bitch." Claire said simply, looking completely unfazed.

"And that's what I love about you." I took another long sip from my coffee before tossing it into the trash near the door. "Seven tonight?" I asked.

"Better make it eight." She said, glancing at her phone. "Might be running a little bit behind. I'll call you."

"You got it, boss lady." I mock saluted her and she rolled her eyes. "I'm messing with you. See you tonight!"

As if on cue, her phone began to ring, signaling my time to leave. She waved at me as I slipped out of her office, shutting the door quietly behind me.

* * *

Eight o'clock rolled around as I stood in front of one of the many restaurants Jurassic World had to offer. I was still wearing my Margaritaville work shirt and probably reeked of french fries and alcohol, but didn't care enough to go all the way home to change. I tugged the elastic out of my hair, shaking out my ponytail as my hair fell in wild waves to my shoulders. I combed my fingers though it, trying to tame it as I tried Claire's cell again. This time, she answered.

"Hey! I'm so so so so sorry!" She apologized, sounding frazzled. "Masrani was late this afternoon and it pushed my whole day behind. I can be there by nine? Or is that too late? Did you-"

"Claire." I interrupted her, smiling a little. "Don't worry about it. We can reschedule. I live here now, remember? Dinner can happen whenever."

There was a pause before she replied. "Are you sure?" She asked hesitantly. "I don't like standing you up."

"You're not." I assured her. "You're a busy, important person and I'm totally okay with that."

She let out a relieved sigh that made my smile turn amused. "I'll make it up to you, Ry. I swear."

"You better." I joked. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Sounds good. I owe you!" Claire replied, then the line went dead as she hung up.

I sighed, slipping my phone back into my bag. Looked like I was on my own. I hitched the strap up on my shoulder and was about to head to the monorail when I caught sight of a head of familiar dark hair making it's way through the crowd.

"Violet!" I called, waving my hand.

The other girl looked around for the source of the voice, smiling when she finally saw me waving at her like an idiot. She changed course and headed towards me. "Hey! What're you doing?"

"Was supposed to meet Claire for dinner, but she had to bail. I don't supposed you'd wanna join me instead?"

She beamed at me. "Sure! I just finished with Mo for the night anyways."

"I hope this place is okay because I kind of had my stomach set on it." I said with a sheepish smile as I nodded towards the restaurant behind me.

Violet laughed. "One thing you should know about me is that I'm chronically hungry and will eat just about anything."

"We'll get along just fine then."

We walked into the cool air conditioning of the restaurant and were seated after a few minutes of waiting. I settled into my seat and ordered a beer, while Violet settled on a coke. "So are you getting used to things here? I know it's only been a little over a week."

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm actually doing pretty good. My parents seem to be easing up a little a bit about me being gone, so that's definitely a plus."

"Why? They don't like the idea of you living so far from home?" She asked curiously.

"Not exactly. More the fact that I dropped out of school to come here." I explained.

"Oh, gotcha. Well, if it makes you feel any better, it took me about seven years to graduate from school because I couldn't stop changing my major."

"I was doing the exact same thing which is why I decided to leave. I'll go back whenever I figure out what it is I wanna do." I shrugged.

"I think once your parents catch on to the fact that you're happier being here, they'll stop being mad." Violet said.

I smiled at her appreciatively. "Thanks, I hope so."

The rest of the meal was spent in nonstop chatter, barely able to get our food order in with all the conversation. It turned out Violet had spent a lot of time snowboarding in Colorado when she was in college, which left us plenty of things to talk about. The time went by so quickly that I shocked when the server approached us to give us our bill, hinting to us that the restaurant was closing.

"Jesus, well that's a first for me." I commented, sliding some bills into the book.

Violet laughed. "It's nice to talk to somebody new, especially someone I have so much in common with. I'm so used to just talking about work."

"We'll have to do this again sometime then."

"That would be fun." She beamed.

We finished paying our bills and left the restaurant. Only a few guests lingered, slowly making their way towards the exit. A family passed, a mom practically dragging her child behind her who looked like he was asleep on his feet.

"I just remembered there were a few things I needed to finish setting up for the morning. Completely forgot when I saw you." Violet said, taking a few steps in the direction of the mosasaurus exhibit. "I'll probably see you tomorrow or something."

"Sounds good." I waved at her before happily turning and heading off in the direction of the monorail on the other side of the park. The station was almost empty when I arrived, only about two other employees waiting, both of them looking completely exhausted. I leaned against the railing, looking down the track for the familiar beam of light from the monorail.

"Hey, newbie!"

I whirled around, my stomach dropping at the sound of the familiar voice. It was Owen, of course. He was at the bottom of the steps, hands on his hips as he looked up at me.

"Hey! You heading home too?" I asked.

He nodded. "Sure as hell ain't taking that thing though. You wanna ride?"

I blinked at him in surprise and stupidly looked behind him for some sort of car or four wheeler. He grinned at me and jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. "It's that way. Come on."

He didn't give me a chance to accept or refuse, instead just assuming I was coming along. Which I was. I took the steps two at a time, hurrying to catch up with him. I fell into step with him as we rounded a corner, flashing his badge and pushing through a locked door that I knew was for park employees only. Huge, solid metal doors surrounded us. "Are these entrances to some of the paddocks?" I asked curiously, looking around.

"Yep." Owen answered simply. He pointed to the one closest to us. "There's the T-Rex."

My eyes went wide and I stared at the door as we passed it, trying to imagine the huge carnivore behind it, with it's reptilian skin and glistening sharp teeth. I knew the wall was thick, made of solid metal, but it still sent a shiver up my spine thinking about how that was the only thing standing between us. We made our way through the maze of corridors until we were once again outside. Owen led the way to a motorcycle, the same one he had been working on the day before.

He swung one leg over it and started it, twisting the throttle to rev the engine. I swore to god it was the sexiest thing I'd ever seen in my life. I pushed my inappropriate thoughts to the side when he glanced at me expectantly. "Well? You too scared or something?" He asked, giving me a slight, teasing smile.

I rolled my eyes to make a point, not bothering to tell him that I'd never been on a motorcycle in my life. I climbed onto the bike behind him and hesitated before wrapping my arms around his middle. I stifled a gasp when he tightened my hold on him, and grabbed one of my thighs, pulling me closer against him. "You'll fall off if you don't hold on tight enough." He explained. My thigh was still tingling even after he moved his hand.

He revved the engine again and we were off, picking up speed like it was nothing. The loud sound of the engine made it impossible to talk so I focused instead on the way the wind felt as it whipped past us, and the thrill I felt in my stomach every time we veered around a curve or took a sharp turn. It was pretty much impossible, even though I tried, to ignore how close I was to Owen. I could feel his muscled stomach underneath his shirt, and the warmth of his skin underneath my fingertips. I had no choice but to be pressed up against him. Even more impossible to ignore was the way he smelled, like sweat and dirt but with an underlying hint of something that reminded me of peppermint. I wanted to kick myself. Was I really thinking about the way he _smelled_?

Owen didn't begin to slow down until we turned down the dirt road that led to the staff housing. The wheels kicked up dust underneath us, creating little clouds as we drove down the narrow road.

"Which one?" He asked over the rumble of the engine.

"Last one on the left!" I pointed further down the road. Owen nodded and the bike came to a stop in front of my trailer. I unlocked my arms from around his middle, once again extremely aware of how close we were. I climbed off the bike, trying to smooth my hair which had been whipping around in a frenzy during the entire drive.

"Thanks for the ride!"

"Better than taking the train, right?" He grinned and I nodded. His eyes suddenly swept over me before stopping to rest on my face again. "You should wear your hair down more."

Then, once again not even waiting for a response, he was darting off down the road towards his own place. I stared after him, eyebrows raised before slowly turning around and heading inside. I went straight to the bathroom and clicked on the overhead light, unsure of what my hair even looked like right then. It was windblown and wild, no doubt a dual effect of the humidity and the motorcycle ride. I made a quizzical expression at myself in the mirror, wondering if Owen had been being sarcastic.

"Why the hell do I even care?" I asked my reflection out loud. I flicked the light off, wondering why indeed, I cared what Owen Grady thought about me at all.


	7. Chapter Six

**_AUTHOR'S NOTE:_**

 **Not gonna have time to post tomorrow so here it is! See you guys in a week! :D**

 **-Nikki**

* * *

 **CHAPTER SIX**

 _"THEN I REALIZED I WAS AN IDIOT, SOMETHING THAT WAS HAPPENING A LOT LATELY AND I ATTRIBUTED SOLEY TO OWEN GRADY'S EXISTENCE"_

 _SONG TO LISTEN TO:_ YOUNG AND UNAFRAID _BY THE_ _MOTH AND THE FLAME_

"There she is!" Denny grinned at me when I rushed in through the patio gate, shrugging off my jacket.

"Sorry! The monorail was running late today." I apologized, balling my jacket up and stuffing it into the cubby underneath the bar. I didn't bother to add that I'd also almost missed the train because I'd been too busy staring at myself in the mirror deciding if I should wear my hair down or not. Then I realized I was an idiot, something that was happening a lot lately and I attributed solely to Owen Grady's existence. I ended up throwing my hair into a bun before racing out the door and just barely making it to the platform in time.

Denny glanced at the watch on his wrist. "Five minutes late, not exactly a crime."

I gave him a smile. "Yeah, well I've had plenty of other bosses who thought otherwise."

"Lucky for you I'm not one of them. Anyways, I have about five pounds of paperwork that need done. I'll be in the office, just holler if you need anything." He squeezed my shoulder as he sidled past, heading through the swinging door that led through the kitchen to his office in the back.

I let out a soft sigh, putting my hands on my hips as I surveyed the bar and wrote up a list in my head of what needed to be done before the dinner rush hit. Like clockwork, the restaurant was packed every single night right around six. I'd never worked in a bar before where things were so consistent and steady. Violet hadn't been wrong when she told me I'd make out tip wise. Most nights I left with at least two hundred bucks in my pocket. I was developing quite a healthy savings, considering there wasn't much on the island to spend it on unless I wanted to pay for overpriced food and merchandise.

I disappeared back into the muggy kitchen, waving at the cooks on duty before grabbing some lemons and limes from the cooler to cut up for drinks. When I emerged back into the bar, Owen Grady was sitting comfortably at my bar like he'd been there for hours. He grinned when he saw me.

"What up, new girl!"

I playfully rolled my eyes. "When are gonna stop calling me that?" I set the container of fruits down on the bar, wiping my hands on the back of my jeans.

He shrugged. "When you stop being one."

"Okay, and how much longer will that be?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.

He shrugged again, this time giving me one of his signature smirks. "Whenever I decide you aren't."

"Wow, so that could potentially be anywhere from tomorrow to five years from now?" I asked and was pleased when he let out a loud laugh. "You need something? Food? A drink?"

"Some food. They ran out of taco shells for Taco Tuesday in the cafeteria, so this is my second option." He grabbed one of the plastic toothpicks I used to spear olives from the cup in front of me and started bending it.

"Taco Tuesday, huh?" I asked, pulling out the cutting board and knife from behind the bar's doubled sided sink. "I didn't even know that existed here."

"Technically it doesn't today because they're out of shells, remember?" He gave me a cheeky grin and I shook my head.

"Anyways, you gonna order or not?" I asked. He slid a piece of paper over the counter to me with about five different orders on it. I turned to the computer behind the bar and quickly punched it in before sending it off to the kitchen. "You wanna coke or something while you wait?"

"Yeah, that's fine." He flicked the plastic toothpick in the direction of the garbage and missed by a mile. I gave him a look and he shrugged, leaning forward to rest his arms on the bar. I poured him a coke from the soda gun and set the glass in front of him before getting to work cutting lemons into neat, thin wedges. I could feel his eyes on me, but tried to pretend I didn't notice.

"So." He finally said, breaking the silence. "We covered that you're from Colorado, that somehow you and the ice queen have been BFFs since the third grade, and that you like tequila. That last one is enough for me to just accept you as a human being, but anyways." He shrugged and I lifted my eyes only to be met by his blue ones, eyeing me curiously. "What else?"

I averted my gaze back to my lemon wedges, brushing them into a pile on the edge of the cutting board. "What else do you wanna know?"

"Let's start with why you're here." He suggested. "And none of that smart ass 'do you mean what's my purpose on earth, or why did I come to this island' crap." He added, in a high pitched voice that I could only assume was supposed to me.

"First of all, I don't sound like that and second of all, you just sucked all of the fun out of that question." I smirked.

"So what's the not fun answer?" He asked. "Why did Rylan come to Jurassic World to be a bartender at a Margaritaville?"

He asked the same questione I'd gotten at least a dozen times since moving. When my parents asked, it'd been in disappointment. When Claire asked, it was curiosity. The way Owen asked it, though, made it sound like so much more. Like this was the question that held all the answers to anything he could possibly ever want to know about me. I set down the knife and leaned forward against the bar.

"I don't know. I guess I just needed a change. I was tired of doing the same thing day after day and not feeling satisfied." I answered, shaking my head. I met his eyes and he raised his eyebrows just slightly, a signal for me to continue. Like I'd thought, he was looking for more than any answer I'd given anyone else. "I just didn't feel like what I was doing before was enough, I guess. Going to college for a degree I wasn't even sure I wanted. Spending all my free time studying and doing homework when I could've been doing other things." I paused before continuing and he was silent, waiting. "I guess the easiest way for me to put it is that…while I'm here, and while I'm alive, I want to actually live. I wanna have a life that's so exciting and so full of adventure that one day, when I'm eighty years old sitting in my rocking chair, I can tell everybody about this awesome life I lived. And I feel like this place is gonna help me do that."

It was the first time I'd ever tried explaining the way I'd been feeling out loud. No one else had ever asked, and I'd never felt the need to tell them about how antsy and unsatisfied I'd felt with what I'd been doing before. As I looked at Owen, blue eyes assessing me in a thoughtful manner, I didn't feel embarrassed or like I'd said too much. I just felt relieved, like getting it off my chest and into the open had made me a thousand pounds lighter.

"Well, you haven't even seen the best part yet." He finally said, eyes glinting mischievously, matching the smile on his lips.

I looked at him in surprise. "What the hell does that mean?"

He took a sip of his coke before settling back in his chair. "I mean that you've seen all the attractions the park has to offer, but that's it. You haven't even seen what else there is."

I felt my interest spark, igniting my curiosity and making me eager to know what exactly he meant. I was leaning forward, towards him, without even realizing it at first. "Like what?"

Just then, the door to the kitchen swung open, making me jump. One of the cooks set two plastic bags filled with steaming styrofoam contained on the bar in front of me. I blinked up at him in surprise. I'd almost completely forgotten what Owen had been doing sitting at my bar in the first place.

Owen went into his wallet and set a small stack of cash on the counter in front of me. "See you later?" He asked.

"Yeah, but wait…you can't just tell me that there's stuff here I haven't even seen yet, not explain what and then disappear out the door like this is some sort of god damn mystery novel!" I exclaimed, realizing how flustered I sounded.

Owen laughed, grabbing the bags off the counter and sliding off his stool. "Don't worry about it, newbie. I'm gonna take care of it. The exclusive, all-access Owen Grady Jurassic World tour….coming to a Margaritaville near you sometime soon." He grinned, taking a few steps back towards the door before turning on his heel and stepping out into the patio.

"You're killing me right now, I hope you know that!" I called after him. He waved at me with the bag swinging in his hand and the last thing I saw before he turned away was his crooked grin. I let out a sigh, shoulders slumping. The spark of curiosity was still burning, though.

I wondered what the hell I was supposed to expect, if anything. It seemed that with Owen Grady, it was always a surprise.

* * *

I pushed back a hanger, running my fingers along the sleeve of a deep, navy blue colored blouse. I picked up the hanger and turned to Claire, holding the shirt close to my chest.

"Would I look weird in this?" I asked, scrunching my nose up as I looked from her back to the shirt again. I walked across the room to the full length mirror on the wall and studied my reflection.

"No, for the thousandth time. Do you plan on asking that about everything in my closet?" She asked from where she was sitting on the bed, legs tucked underneath her and stacks of papers spread out over the comforter.

I grinned at her in the mirror. "Maybe."

Claire sighed and shook her head. "You're not even going to end up borrowing anything anyways."

I shrugged my shoulders and laid the blouse down on the back of her desk chair. "Probably not, but since there's not a mall here, this is the next best option." I plopped down next to her on the bed and glanced at the papers spread around her. None of them made any sense to me. "What are you doing?"

She gave me a weary look before shuffling all the papers into one big pile. "Work."

I raised my eyebrows at her. "Obviously. Is it top secret? Is that why you don't wanna tell me?"

I watched as she chewed her lip for a moment before she let out a defeated sigh. "No, but we're not unveiling it for at least another month or so." She paused a moment before continuing. "We have a new attraction."

"Oh! What is it? Is it something cool?" I asked excitedly.

"I'm not sure, only the people in the lab have seen it so far." She shrugged. "It doesn't even have a name yet."

I furrowed my eyebrows at her. "Whatdya mean it doesn't have a name? Don't all the dinosaurs you make already come with names?"

Claire leaned back against the bed's headboard. "It's not exactly a dinosaur…we didn't breed it. We created it. It's a genetically modified hybrid."

There was a long, drawn out pause as I allowed this to sink in. "Still not understanding." I shook my head. "What you're saying is you created a brand new dinosaur by playing mad scientist in the labs?"

Claire scowled at me and rolled off the bed. She paced to the other side of the room, gently setting her pile of papers down on the desk. "Yes, kind of. It's perfectly safe, though."

"I dunno…sounds kinda sketchy. How are you supposed to know anything about it if it's never existed before?" I asked her.

Her cheeks tinged red, just barely, but I knew I had my answer. She had no idea. "Rylan, you have to try to understand that the only way this park is going to continue to grow is if we keep wowing people. In order to do that, we have to come up with new things constantly. Even if it's never been seen or done before."

I rolled over onto my stomach and propped my chin in my hands, looking at her. "I guess…just hope this doesn't come back to bite you in the ass." I grinned at her. "See what I did there? I made a joke." And just like that, the tension in the room vanished. Claire rolled her eyes again and crossed the room, sitting back down on the bed.

"Ha, you're hilarious. You know that?"

"Yup." I grinned. I flipped over onto my back and stared up at her cream white ceiling. "Claire, are there any like…secret attractions you don't tell the guests about?"

"What?" She made a face at me. "No, why would you think that?"

"I dunno!" I said defensively. "Just something Owen kinda said."

Claire scoffed. "Well that explains it. Never listen to anything Owen says."

"He's not that bad, Claire. You act like he's the anti-christ or something." I argued, letting out a sigh. I turned my head to glance at my friend. "Maybe you just didn't give him enough of a chance."

"Or maybe I just didn't see the point in trying to start a relationship with someone who is 1. incredibly full of themselves, 2. thinks an acceptable first date is tequila shots on the helicopter pad, and 3. cares more about his raptors than he does actual people." She rattled off, not even missing a beat.

"Still don't think you know him that well to make all those assumptions." I shot back, in a teasing sing-song voice. I didn't want to actually start a serious argument with her, although it seemed she was more than happy to do so. "Look, we don't have to talk about him as long as you accept the fact that maybe, like this is a slight maybe, Owen and I could be friends in the future."

"I don't care who you're friends with, as long as I'm still your favorite friend." She gave me a tiny smile that I knew was meant as a truce.

"Agreed." I smiled back at her. "But seriously can I borrow that blue shirt?"

"Yeah, of course! Where are you gonna wear it?" She asked curiously, eyeing the blouse that was still lying on her desk chair.

"At home, around the house. Nowhere probably." I laughed. "Maybe I wanna impress Owen's raptors."

Claire let out a rare snort before laughing loudly, which immediately caused me to start laughing right along with her. It was the kind of laughter where we would finally stop and the other would start snickering which lead to laughing all over again. By the end of the night, when I was boarding the monorail for the last trip of the night, my stomach hurt from laughing so much and my cheeks hurt from smiling. Once again, I couldn't help but wish that more people knew Claire the way that I did.


	8. Chapter Seven

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_

 **Back from vacation so an update today and one tomorrow too. Thanks for all the love! Review, favorite, follow, message! 3 It makes my day!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER SEVEN**

"I'D NEVER FELT LIKE ANYBODY HAD EVER LOOKED AT ME THAT CLOSELY BEFORE, LIKE THEY WERE SEEING MORE THAN WHAT WAS JUST ON THE SURFACE"

 _SONG TO LISTEN TO:_ RENEGADES _BY_ _X AMBASSADORS_

Closing time for the park was always a surreal feeling, not matter how many times I experienced it. It felt like a ghost town once all the guests had trailed through the entrance, carrying sleeping children in their arms and trudging their feet back to the resort's hotel. Then the music went off, leaving us in a silence that always felt incredibly loud after the shouts and yells of excited guests had faded. I looked out at the empty midway from behind the bar, refilling the empty containers with tiny drink straws and white beverage napkins. We were usually the last place open, customers and other park employees often stopping in for one last drink before calling it a night.

"Hey, I just have to finish wiping down the tables. You almost done in here?" I glanced over my shoulder to see the one other closing employee, Emma, peeking her head from around the corner of the main dining room.

I nodded, letting out a sigh. "Yeah, just gotta finish restocking these real quick and then lock up the patio."

She looked like she had more to say but suddenly stopped, staring quizzically towards the patio door. I turned back around and my eyebrows shot up in surprise when I saw Owen Grady leaning against the doorframe, a six-pack of beer in one hand although I had no idea where he might have gotten it. I would've thought I would be used to him randomly showing up by now, but no.

He smiled at me from across the room and my pulse jumped. "You almost done yet?"

I could feel Emma's gaze flickering between the two of us, no doubt curious as hell. Well she could join the club on that one. "Yeah, just a few more minutes."

"Come out here when you're done. Something I wanna show you." Even from here I could see that mischievous glint in his eyes, but before I could ask what the hell he was talking about, he'd turned his back and disappeared. A habit of his I was slowly getting used to.

"What was that about?" Emma asked, the second he was gone.

I shook my head, turning around to look at her with a mystified expression. "I seriously wish I knew." Curiosity prickled over me like a static current, intermixed with a nervousness that was making my stomach flip flop like an olympic gymnast. My mind jumped back to the conversation we'd had a few nights ago, where he mentioned something about the park having things I'd never even seen yet.

"Well if you wanna go and see whatever he has to show you, I can finish up in here." She offered, shrugging her shoulders. "I've locked up plenty of times before."

I hesitated, chewing anxiously on my lower lip as I looked from her to the patio where Owen was waiting somewhere. "Are you sure?" I asked.

She laughed. "Yeah, it's fine. Go have fun. Fill me in with the details later." She gave me a knowing grin and I rolled my eyes, turning my back to her before she could see the red hue in my cheeks.

I rummaged around underneath the bar before grabbing my jacket. "I seriously doubt it's going to be an exciting story."

"I dunno…kinda sounds like the beginning of a romance novel. 'When gorgeous, mysterious raptor trainer Owen Grady showed up at Rylan's work one night, claiming he had something to show her, she never imagined it would change her life.' Best seller." Emma joked, before bursting into laughter.

I wadded up a napkin and threw it her, which she easily ducked. "Ha ha, you're hilarious!" I said sarcastically. "I hope he didn't hear any of that."

"I hope he did." She grinned before pushing herself off the wall and taking a few steps back into the dining room. "Have fun, I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Thank you, I owe you for closing up!" I called after her. She waved her hand, dismissing my thanks before turning back around and starting to wipe down the tables again.

I shrugged my old denim jacket on over my work shirt before slinging my purse over my shoulder and heading out the open doorway onto the patio. I slipped through the waist high iron gate and looked up and down the street before finally spotting him sitting on a bench with his six-pack resting next to him. I sucked in a deep breath before heading towards him.

"So what's this something you have to show me?" I asked when I finally reached him.

He smiled at me as he stood to his feet, stretching his arms over his head. I tried to ignore the tiny gap of tanned stomach that peeked through in between his shirt and jeans. Tried, being the key word there. He looked like he'd just come from work. His beige long sleeves shirt pushed up to the elbows, and jeans covered in a thin layer of dirt and dust. "Patience. Come on."

Beer tucked under his arm, he started leading the way down Main Street, though I had no idea where we were going. I fell into step with him, my mind buzzing with about a million questions, but none of them finding their way past my lips. Our footsteps seemed to echo loudly in the silence, not another soul in sight. I looked around curiously as we moved deeper into the park. I'd never strayed this far in after close. I looked up at him in bewilderment when we finally slowed to a stop in front of the giant pool of water where Mo lived. Owen pulled a keycard out of his back pocket, flashing it in front of the lock. The light flashed from red to green before was a distinct 'click', signaling it was unlocked. Owen gave me a smirk as he pushed the door open, obviously pleased with my surprised reaction.

"Is this allowed?" I asked in a hushed voice, as he held open the door for me. I stepped inside the quiet stadium, and looked up at the rows and rows of empty seats in awe. It reminded me of the time my dad had taken me to an empty baseball stadium he did maintenance for. I remembered standing on the pitcher's mound in the silence, trying to imagine what it would be like to have the stands filled with thousands of screaming fans. For some reason, it made me feel significantly small. I felt the same way now.

Owen snorted, walking past me and leading the way up the steps. "Who cares, we aren't doing anything wrong technically. I do this all the time."

"What? Sneak around and drink beer using your top-secret all access pass?" I joked. We were nearly at the top now and I was trying to disguise the fact that I was out of breath from the climb. Owen, on the other hand, seemed fine. He finally stopped climbing and stepped into a row, sliding into a seat when we were finally in the very middle.

"Something like that. Now would you shut up and just turn around and look at this."

I shot him a look and had a remark waiting on the tip of my tongue, but it vanished and disappeared from my mind completely when I turned and sat back on the bench next to him. "Holy shit." The words fell from my lips in hushed astonishment. I could feel that Owen was smiling at me, but I couldn't take my eyes off the sky in front of me to even spare him half a glance.

With the park's huge stadium lights turned off, the only light came from the glow of the lamps on the midway behind us and the tiny little lights that lit up the steps. The rest of the light came from the millions and millions of tiny stars spread out on the blanket of sky over us and the crescent moon hovering in between them. The light reflected off of the smooth, glassy surface of the water, like a giant mirror. I'd never seen anything like it and something about it stirred a feeling of wonder inside of me, like the way I'd felt in that baseball stadium magnified by thousand. Owen was quiet as the moment of awe settled over me, and I was wrapped in the impressiveness of the spectacular view.

"Wow." I finally uttered.

He chuckled, and it was the sound of a beer bottle opening that finally got me to tear my eyes away from the sky and look at him. He handed me a cold bottle. "I know. Pretty amazing, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, pretty amazing." I took a sip of the cool beer before smiling at Owen. "Thanks for showing me."

He shrugged, like it was no big deal before tilting one of the brown bottles against his own lips. He swallowed before speaking again. "I come here sometimes when I need to just chill out. It helps me remember how lucky I am to be here." He gave me a small smile. "Didn't I tell you that you hadn't even seen the best parts yet?"

I felt myself returning his smile instantly. "Yeah, well you weren't wrong. Seriously, thanks."

"Thank me after you've seen everything. This is only the first stop on the Owen Grady all-exclusive tour." He propped his mud caked boots onto the bench in front of us.

"So there's more stuff like this?" I asked, gesturing towards the scene in front of us.

"Hell yeah, plenty."

I tilted my head slightly to one side as I studied him. "And you want to show me, of all people, this stuff?" I asked, the uncertainty in my voice extremely noticeable.

He perked an eyebrow at me, looking amused. "You said you wanted to live, have adventures and all that. By embarking all that information onto me, I now feel solely responsible for making sure that happens."

Before I could stuff my feelings away, I suddenly felt strangely touched. I couldn't say that anyone I'd ever met in my entire life, even the people that really, really knew me, had wanted to do anything like that for me.

Any time I had even tried to explain my urge to live a life where I'd done things no one else had, people would nod and agree but not really take me seriously. Like it was a whim that everyone felt, but eventually got over someday. People didn't seem to get that I wasn't willing to settle. Not when there was a world like this out there. And then there was Owen Grady, appearing in my life by chance and not knowing a damn thing about me, but somehow completely understanding me in a way even my own best friend didn't. I didn't know what to say so opted instead to take a long swig of my beer.

"So." He finally said, breaking the quiet that had settled between us. "What were you doing in school before you decided to make a break for it?"

I made a face. "Wasting time." He raised his eyebrows at me and I sighed before continuing. "Seriously, if you knew the amount of time I changed my major, you'd think I was insane. Journalism, education, business, communications. Nothing ever felt like the right fit."

"I know that feeling. How'd you think I ended up in the Navy? Didn't know what else to do." He grunted, taking a long sip from his beer bottle. "Nothing wrong with not having your shit figured out."

"How long did it take you to figure yours out?" I asked curiously.

He shot me a grin. "Who the hell said I had it figured out?"

"I dunno." I shrugged. "I mean, here you are, training the world's most vicious predators at the world's highest grossing theme park. You must be doing something right."

"I got lucky." He corrected me. "Lucky that I got this job out of nowhere and lucky that it's worked out…and lucky that I actually really like what I do. This is the first time in my entire life that it isn't hard to get up in the morning and go to work."

"Most people would kill for that." I murmured. I propped my feet up next to his, leaning forward and resting my forearms over my knees.

"Don't I know it." He agreed, nodding his head. "You still got time, though. You already took the first step didn't you? You weren't happy and you did something to change it. You're still young."

I snorted. "As opposed to you being really old or something?"

He rolled his eyes. "You get what I'm saying. And I just turned thirty-three, thank you very much. Not old yet."

"Are you sure? I figured once you hit thirty, it's all downhill from there." I teased him.

"Well, smartass, I guess I'll have to let you know." He shook his head, but was smiling. "How old are you anyways?"

"Twenty-five." I answered simply, taking another sip from my beer bottle.

"Nobody has their shit figured out at twenty-five."

"Yeah, well, everybody acts like you're supposed to. Everybody I know talks to me like the future is more important than the right now. Asking me crap like 'what's next, what're you gonna do after that, then what?'…." I trailed off before exhaling through puckered lips. I shook my head, a stray strand of hair escaping my ponytail. "I'm fine not having my shit together. I knew the second I stepped off that boat that being here felt right, and that makes it okay that I don't know what's next."

I made the mistake of glancing over at Owen then, and the intensity in his eyes sent a rush of warmth through me. I'd never felt like anybody had looked at me that closely before, like they were seeing more than just what was on the surface. "Listen, the future is always gonna be there. That's what I've figured out. You're right, all the time people are concerned with what's happening in a week, a month, a year to the point where they miss what's happening right in front of them." He nodded his head towards the scenery in front of us. "I dunno what's gonna happen. I could be dead tomorrow, but I'm not gonna worry about it today."

"Well, that's cheerful." I joked, one half of my mouth turning upwards in a smirk. The intensity of the moment dulled, but the significance of it lingered.

He shot me an impish grin. "I'm just saying. The future's happening either way, but I'm more concerned about the now."

"You're like the only person I've ever met in my entire life that feels that way." I admitted to him, shaking my head. "I don't care what might happen. This feels more important. Me, sitting here in an empty stadium with someone I barely even know but somehow gets it, feels more important than what might happen to me a year from now."

"Why do you think I brought you here? You're the only person I've ever bothered showing this to because no one else would give a shit." He said quietly. "But you get it."

Inside, I felt myself swelling with happiness. My heart beating like a hummingbird's, and contentedness settling over me like a warm blanket. I smiled at him, wondering if my cheeks would eventually start to hurt from how much it was happening lately. "I'll cheers to that." I said.

Owen held his bottle towards me and I clinked mine against his before draining the last of the contents inside. "One more?" He asked. Before I could answer he was already uncapping two more and handing me one. I took it from him gladly, leaning backwards to rest my back against the bench behind me.

"I have another really important question for you." Owen said, shooting me a sideways look.

I blinked at him curiously. "Okay…."

"How do you feel…about Lord of the Rings?" He asked and the laughter immediately bubbled up inside me before spilling over. My head fell back as I laughed, for whatever reason finding the question funnier than anything else that had happened to me that day. Owen grinned at me, patiently waiting for me to finish. "It's a serious question!" He insisted.

"Fine. You mean the books or the movies?" I finally asked, still unable to wipe the smile from my face.

He thought about it for a second before answering. "Either."

* * *

I couldn't remember the last time I had stayed up so late talking to someone about anything and everything. Besides Claire, of course, who I didn't count since she was my best friend and had been for most of my life. I found it was easy to talk to him. Sure, he teased and joked but what surprised me the most was that he actually listened. He asked me questions, sometimes incredibly ridiculous ones (like who'd win in a fight, King Kong or Captain America) and was genuinely interested in my opinion. We talked so much we didn't even make it through the entire six-pack. There were still two left when a yawn I'd been trying to hold back finally escaped me.

"I think that's a signal that it's time to get outta here." He grinned.

I wanted to disagree, but I knew he was right. Especially because I had another long closing shift the next day and Owen probably had an early start in the morning. I forced myself to stand, stretching out my limbs. My ass felt numb from sitting on the hard bench for so long, my back sore. Owen grabbed the rest of the beers as I started making my way down the steps again. We left the stadium, the door swinging shut and locking behind us.

"You're gonna give me a ride, right?" I asked. "I mean since you kept me out so late and the monorail isn't running and all."

He pretended to look at me in surprise. "You mean you don't want to walk all the way there?"

I elbowed his side and he tried to dodge out of the way. "Fine, fine. I guess you can have a ride."

"I always knew you were a gentleman." I joked.

He laughed. "I've been called a lot of things, but that's never been one of them. Here, put these in your purse." He took out the last two bottles from the six-pack, stuffing the cardboard carrier into a trashcan as we walked past. I buried the two bottles into the bottom of my bag.

I didn't feel as nervous getting on the motorcycle behind him as I had the first time. I was a little annoyed, though, when I found out that being that close to him still made me blush like a pre-teen girl with a crush. Which I wasn't. Sure, Owen was funny, smart, and even sort of sweet in his own way…and of course there was no denying those rugged good looks. Or those blue eyes. The thought of having him as a friend, though, made me willing to risk the effects of his playful smile and subtle flirtatiousness. Anyways, I wasn't in any sort of position to jump into something with someone new. I wasn't even sure I wanted to for a very, very long time

I was more tired than I'd originally thought and turned my head, resting my cheek against the warmth of his back as we sped along the dirt road. I let my eyes close, enjoying the feeling of the wind rushing past us. When I opened them again, we were slowing down in front of my house. I staggered off the back, stretching my arms over my head as another yawn escaped me.

Owen gave me an amused look. "I thought you might've fallen asleep back there, the way you were all cuddled up on me."

I scowled at him, hoping it was dark enough for him to miss the burning in my cheeks. "You wish."

He let out a laugh and revved the bike's engine. "Get some sleep, newbie."

I nodded and gave him a sleepy wave before turning and heading into the house as he hurtled off towards his house just down the road. The noise of the engine eventually died away as I shuffled around my tiny home, getting ready for bed. I was suddenly exhausted when I finally fell onto the soft mattress, burying my face into the pillow. Even then, I wasn't too tired to smile like an idiot into the soft, cottony fabric.

As sleep began to press in on me, I couldn't help but think how it was so weird to not really know anything about a person, about their family, or where they came from, or anything, but feel like you know exactly who they were.


	9. Chapter Eight

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

 _"HIS EYES GLOWED, THE SAME COLOR AS THE DEEPER PARTS OF THE OCEAN BENEATH US, AND I SUDDENLY FOUND MYSELF THINKING I HAD BEEN RIGHT"_

 _SONG TO LISTEN TO:_ BEST DAY OF MY LIFE _BY_ _AMERICAN AUTHORS_

For the next two days, Owen was one of the only things on my mind. I was surprised I was at much I had liked spending time with him. I couldn't help but think Claire had been wrong, that there more to him that what was at the surface level…although the surface level was _very_ , _very_ nice to look at. Every night after work, I caught myself glancing towards the doors waiting to see him standing there, wearing that infamous smirk. Instead, though, I ended up meandering home alone and going to bed as soon as I had made it inside.

It was one of my precious and long awaited days off. I had collapsed into my bed the night before with every single attention of sleeping in. It was still dark when the pounding noise coming from the living room jolted me awake. I forced my eyes open, staring at the blank space of wall next to the bed. I groped around the nightstand for my phone to check the time, but couldn't find it. Then I remembered I had left it plugged in all the way out in the kitchen. The pounding noise, which I groggily realized was knocking, came again. I thought about ignoring it and going back to sleep, but my mind kept nagging at me. What if it was Claire and she had some sort of emergency and I hadn't answered my cellphone?

I let out a groan, sitting up and dragging my legs over the side of the bed. I trudged into the living room, stumbling over my purse which I'd left lying in the middle of the room for some reason. I unlocked the front door and pulled it open. Owen grinned at me from the front step. I blinked sleepily at him, too tired to care that I was standing there in my pajamas.

"Are you serious? It's still night time." I sighed, leaning against the doorframe.

"Hell yeah I'm serious, Davenport! Plus it's morning." He glanced down at watch on his wrist, checking the time. "Quarter to five to be exact."

I gave him a blank stare. "You're an idiot."

I made to swing the door shut but his hand shot out, pushing it back open. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Don't be like that!" He stepped around me inside my living room. I shook my head, so much for sleeping in. "You know I wouldn't be messing up your beauty sleep or whatever if I didn't have something awesome to show you."

He sank down onto the armrest of the couch, looking up at me expectantly. His hair was tousled, like he'd also just woken up, and he was dressed in a simple v-neck teeshirt and a pair of blue board shorts. I felt a tired, delirious laugh stirring inside me, wondering if those were the infamous shorts that had condemned from ever going on another date with Claire again.

"What the hell are you smirking about over there?" Owen asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Just…nice shorts." I finally blurted out, shooting him a big grin.

He glanced down at his outfit before looking back up at me, rolling his eyes. "What? Don't tell me these are on your 'dealbreaker' list too?"

"No! Absolutely not, I love them!" I teased.

One corner of his mouth tugged upwards. "Sure, whatever. Go get your ass dressed…if you have a bathing suit it's probably a good idea to throw that on too." He said with a shrug.

"Where are we going?" I asked, the word 'bathing suit' making me feel unnecessarily suspicious.

"Stop trying to always ruin the surprise." He shot back, standing up. He stretched his arms over his head, once again revealing that distracting strip of tummy. "Just meet me outside in like five minutes."

"Fine." I groaned in defeat, although on the inside I suddenly felt more awake than I thought I was capable of at the crack of dawn. I knew Owen was right. That whatever he had planned would be worth it.

Ten minutes later, I was riding on the back of his motorcycle down the curved road that led to the resort. I had thrown on the only bathing suit I'd packed along with a pair of jean shorts and a cut off teeshirt. To my surprise, though, the bike sped past the main entrance and suddenly we were rocketing down a dirt road that followed the coastline. To my right, the ocean stretched on for what looked like an eternity. I could smell the salt in the air, along with the fresh, crisp scent I always associated with beaches. I knew better, though, than to think Owen had just simply dragged my ass out of bed at 5am for to build sandcastles and sunbathe.

By the time we slowed down and turned onto a much narrower, bumpy road that led directly to the coast, the sun was just starting to peek over the horizon. A strip of yellow across the bottom of the sky showed the first signs of daylight. The road ended near the sand, where a freshly painted white hut sat alone and seemingly unoccupied. A long wooden pier led out over the water and a dock down the beach had half a dozen boats rocking and swaying on the water.

"People have boats here?" I asked in surprise, climbing off the back of the bike.

"Sure, gotta occupy themselves somehow, right?" He answered, maneuvering the bike until it was parked out of view behind the small hut. A plastic sign posted on the wall advertised 'boat rentals, live bait, tackle, and fishing gear rental, parasailing, and snorkeling. Owen followed my gaze. "Yeah, this part of the resort is the newest. Most people are too caught up in the theme park to come out here."

"Well then what are we doing out here?" I tried again.

Owen smirked at me. "You really don't have any patience at all, do you?"

"Yes, I do!" I argued good-naturedly . "I mean sometimes. When I feel like it."

Still smirking, he shook his head. "So never then. Come on."

I slipped off my flip flops, holding them in my hand as we walked across the beach. The sand was cool in-between my toes. I let the water lap at my feet a little bit, shivering at the cold temperature. When we finally reached the dock, a middle aged man with a thick, dark mustache and a white button up Jurassic World staff shirt was waiting for us. Next to him was a sleek, shiny black speed boat with the name 'Shootin' The Breeze' written across it in gold colored, looping letters.

"Hey, Owen!" He greeted, deep voice tinged with a southern accent. They shook hands.

"What's up, Jerry! This is Rylan." Owen said, tilting his head in my direction.

Jerry said hello to me but I was too busy staring at the colorful train of fabric, that weirdly resembled a big kite, sitting near the back. It dawned on me then what we were doing.

"Oh no…no no no." I said quickly, taking a step back.

Owen caught me around the waist, gently pushing me towards the boat. "Hey, no backing out now."

"Backing out? I never agreed to being dragged behind a boat hundreds of feet in the air!" I scoffed. "I'm afraid of heights, Owen!" My stomach was doing nervous flip flops, and all I could think about was the time my dad had dragged me on a roller coaster when I was twelve and I'd had a panic attack before we've even made it to the top of the hill.

"So today's the perfect day to face your fear!" He said, stepping in front of me so I had no choice but to look up at him. "Come on, I'll be right there with you."

"You'll be perfectly safe, and the second you want to come down you just let me know." Jerry added, giving me a kind smile. I wonder how many other embarrassingly frightened people like me he dealt with on a regular basis.

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, biting on my lower lip as I anxiously stared from the boat to the open water. The sky was now turning a gold hue as the sun continued to rise. When I looked back at Owen he was watching me patiently, waiting for me to give the green light.

I shook my head, exhaling loudly. "Fine, but if I have a heart attack and die I'm blaming you."

"That's the spirit!" He grinned. He climbed into the boat and held out a hand for me to so the same. I gripped his fingers tightly as I carefully stepped from the dock and onto the speed boat. It rocked from side to side, water lapping up against the sides. I gripped the side of the boat, trying to regain my balance.

"Put these on." Jerry said, handing us matching red and yellow life vests. I shrugged mine on, clipping the straps into place over my chest.

"Here, yours is way too loose." Owen suddenly said, stepping in front of me and adjusting the straps. I had nowhere to look but his face as he tugged on the straps. I hadn't noticed before but he had a scar on the bridge of his nose. Maybe an imperfection to some, but for whatever reason it only added to his rugged appeal for me. I was such an idiot. He finished tightening the life vest fasteners and tugged on the jacket. "Feel better?"

I shrugged. "I guess…I'm more worried about the line snapping and floating away to outer space."

Owen let out a loud laugh. "I highly doubt that will happen considering we have something here on earth called gravity? Maybe you've heard of it?" He teased.

I lightly shoved him, pushing against the padded life jacket that covered his chest. "Don't mess with me, Grady. The second we get up there, there's a good chance I might accidentally puke on you."

He wrinkled his nose. "Yeah, try not to do that."

"Okay," Jerry interrupted, coming to stand in between us. "I'm going to help you get the harnesses on, then once you're all hooked up we can get going. Yeah?"

My stomach lurched again but I nodded, ignoring Owen's entertained gaze as Jerry helped me step into the parasailing harness. It was only a few short minutes before we were latched and ready to go. My heart was pounding, my mouth dry as cotton. We were riding in tandem, which made me feel a little better but not much.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" I asked Owen uncertainly.

"You wanted to live, so we're living!" He shot back. I made a face at him, slightly annoyed he was using my own words against me. He wasn't wrong, though. I was the one who had made it very clear that I was after adventure. All Owen had done was deliver it to me.

Jerry positioned us so we were sitting on the back edge of the boat. Then, he moved to the front and started the engine. I had no idea how the science behind it worked, but apparently all it took was the pull of a lever and we would be lifting off like a kite.

The boat engine purred loudly beneath us as we backed out away from the dock and turned to head out onto the open water. I glanced behind us, looking at the spray of water as we zipped across the surface.

"You okay?" Owen yelled over the drone of the boat's engine. I glanced over at him and nodded. He smiled at me and then, completely unexpectedly, he grabbed my hand and laced his fingers through mine. My surprise must have showed on my face because he squeezed my hand, his smile growing. "I'm not gonna let anything happen to you, okay?"

I nodding again, squeezing his hand back as I tried to ignore the warmth rushing through me caused by the unintentional sweetness of his words. Jerry turned and gave us a thumbs up which only Owen returned. I was too busy gripping his hand tightly with one hand and holding on to my harness with the other. I watched as Jerry pulled the lever and then we were gently lifting up into the air. I squeezed my eyes shut tightly as the solidness of the boat disappeared and my legs dangled in mid-air. The sound of the engine faded away until it was suddenly quiet.

"You gotta open your eyes, newbie, or you're gonna miss the whole point." Owen chuckled from next to me.

I sucked in a deep breath, waiting for my stomach to settle a little, before forcing my eyes open. The rest of the air was stolen from my lungs. "Jesus Christ." I whispered weakly. The boat was small dot of black beneath us, the blue of the ocean stretching forever.

"Breathe. Enjoy the view. We're perfectly safe up here." Owen reminded me.

"Easy for you to say." I muttered, and he chuckled in response. I pulled in another deep breath and let it out through pursed lips, repeating Owen's mantra in my head. _Breathe, enjoy the view, we're safe._ I tried to focus on what was around us, and when I looked away from the immense greenery of the island towards the great expanse of water, I was awestruck. The sunrise had painted the sky in brilliant shades of oranges, reds and pinks, with just a little bit of blue peeking through the clouds. Now I understood why he'd gotten me up so early, and as much as I hated to admit it, it was worth it.

"Wow." I finally said, which was the exact same word I'd used when he showed me the night sky from the stadium just a few nights before.

"Aren't you glad I talked you into this now?" Owen said smugly.

I realized I still had a death grip on his hand but couldn't seem to make myself let go. "It _is_ pretty amazing." I admitted.

"How long have heights freaked you out?" He asked, looking at me curiously.

"Oh, since about forever. Roller coasters, planes, tall buildings…I dunno why because no one else in my family has that problem."

"Yeah, but you're like 500 feet in the air right now and you're fine." Owen said.

"Don't remind me how high…I've tricked myself into thinking it's not that bad." I said nervously, eyes flickering from the ocean below to Owen.

"Everybody's got something they're afraid of." He said easily.

"Even you?"

His mouth stretched into a lopsided grin. "Of course not, it's me."

I rolled my eyes. "You're full of crap."

"Really?" He laughed. "Is that a nice thing to say to the guy who's letting you basically squeeze the life out of his hand?"

Heat crept up the back of my neck and I made to let go but he gripped my hand tighter. "I'm joking, Davenport. You can hold my hand if you want." He said with that mischievous glint in his blue eyes that I was slowly growing accustomed to seeing.

Despite the mild embarrassment I was feeling I found myself laughing under my breath. If I hadn't been sure before, than I was certain at that point that I had never met anyone like him before. He was a whole multitude of things all rolled into one and it somehow worked for him.

A gasp suddenly escaped my lips as we began to dip towards the ground and the fear I'd been trying so hard to control started to break through. I let out a shriek that was hard to hear over Owen's laughing. We slowly floated lower to the ocean until we skimmed the surface and the cold water was splashing over us. Then, we were back out, rising back into the air. I was drenched up to my waist, and was surprised by the nervous smile tugging at my mouth. It felt pretty exhilarating to suddenly realize I was having fun more than I was afraid. I tentatively glanced over at Owen to see him grinning at me and felt my smile growing. His eyes glowed, the same color as the deeper parts of the ocean beneath us, and I suddenly found myself thinking I had been right. My life was already starting to change.


	10. Chapter Nine

_**A/N:**_

 **I seriously love this chapter...so much fluff, you guys! Hope you** **don't mind. Thank you all again for the amazingly kind reviews, they always make my day! Enjoy this one!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER NINE**

 _"IT WOULD BE EASY TO LOSE MYSELF IN HIS EASYGOING PERSONALITY, IN THE WAY HIS ENTIRE BODY LIT UP WHEN HE LAUGHED"_

 _SONG TO LISTEN TO: REFLECTIONS BY_ _MISTERWIVES_

It became a regular, normal occurrence to see Owen either at the end of a work shift or standing at my front door. A six-pack in hand only sometimes, but always that excited glow in his eyes and huge grin on his face. As much as I hated to admit, it always gave me a little bit of a thrill to see him there waiting for me, wondering what were going to get up to. So far he hadn't disappointed. Since the parasailing, things had only gotten more extraordinary.

There'd been a waterfall, and Owen convincing me I was brave enough to jump from the cliff and drop the good forty feet into the clear, pool of water below (he was convinced my fear of heights could be vanquished completely with enough practice). Owen showing me where they kept the baby dinosaurs when they weren't out at the petting zoo and letting me play with them. Owen taking one of the park's employee jeeps and speeding along side a pack of ornithomimosaurs. He even convinced me one day that I was confident enough to learn how to drive his motorcycle, which had been a miserable fail but fun while it lasted. He decided it was better for me to give that up, either tired of watching me fall worried about his poor motorcycle.

For the first time since I could remember, I woke up happy and excited every day. I was having the most fun I'd ever had since I was a kid. Even work was fun sometimes. It was more than that, though, and it didn't hit me what the feeling was until I was sitting on Owen's porch having a beer with him and Violet one day. That the island was finally my home. That had been the happiest thought of all.

I suppressed a yawn as I leaned on the bar, doodling on a white beverage napkin. For a weekday afternoon, it was slower than usual.

"This is boring." Emma groaned. She was sitting on one of the bar stools, her back to the bar as she faced the empty patio. The dining room adjacent to the bar was mostly empty as well, only five out of the dozens of tables filled. The other afternoon server, Abby, emerged from the kitchen with a plate of french fries in her hand. She slid the steaming plate onto the bar.

"Figure we could eat since there's nothing else to do." She shrugged. Her dark hair was pulled up into a messy bun on the top of her head, a few escaped pieces framing her face.

"Good plan." I agreed, grabbing a fry and popping it into my mouth.

We'd only been digging into our afternoon snack for about a minute when loud, raucous laughter came from the patio. I glanced up and automatically let out a groan as a group of five guys, who couldn't have been much older than twenty-two, meandered into the restaurant.

 _Please sit at a table, please sit at a table._

Abby grabbed the plate and gave me an apologetic look before disappearing back into the kitchen.

"Good luck." Emma whispered as she too slid off her stool and abandoned me.

The entire group dropped down onto the recently vacated seats at the bar, still talking loudly and yelling even though they were all right next to one another in the same room. I forced a smile. I knew a group of bad tippers when I saw one.

"Can I get you guys some drinks?" I asked, using my extra perky, false waitress voice.

The guy closest to me, reddish blonde hair gelled into little spikes, appraised me. His eyes flickered from my face to my chest shamelessly. I cringed and fought the urge to roll my eyes. I was wearing a teeshirt, for christ's sake. There wasn't even anything to see.

"Yeah, five shots of Crown." He gave me a charming grin and I smiled back, pretending to be flattered.

"I.D.'s?" I asked sweetly, secretly hoping they were all underage so I could send them away. I groaned internally, though, when five legit looking I.D. cards were pushed me away. I gave them all the once over before turning to the liquor shelves.

The second my back was turned, I made a disgusted face. My customer intuition was never wrong. A group of bad tipping douchebags for sure. I grabbed the bottle of Crown and turned back around, lining up five shot glasses on the bar. I filled each one carefully before passing them out.

"Thanks." The spiky haired guy said. The rest of his friends clinked glasses, but he continued to sit there and smile at me. "What's your name?"

I hesitated before finally realizing it was pointless to lie about it. It was a part of my job to give my name to customers. Even the ones that gave me bad vibes. "Rylan."

"Rylan." He repeated, like he was trying it out. "Cute name for a cute girl."

 _Please._

I smiled. "Thank you."

He tilted his head back, taking the shot and I tried to make myself busy polishing glasses that I'd already done early that day. The phone attached to the wall near the computer abruptly let out a shrill ring. I jumped a little before whirling around to grab it.

"It's a great day for a margarita down at Margaritaville! This is Rylan, how can I help you?" I answered with mock cheerfulness.

"Do you seriously have to answer the phone like that every single time?" A familiar, voice chuckled from the other end.

I leaned up against the counter, dropping the act immediately. "Did you actually need something or did you just call to make fun of me, Owen? And why are you calling me on the restaurant phone anyways?"

"You wouldn't answer your cell." He said simply. There was a loud clanking sound coming from the background, which made me guess he was walking the metal catwalk over the raptor cage.

"Because I'm at work." I reminded him.

"Which is why I called this phone. Glad we figured that out. Anyways, are we still on for tonight?" He asked. We had made plans the day before to go fishing off the pier. Owen thought it was a travesty that I'd never been fishing in my life and aimed to change that.

"Yeah, for sure. I'm done here around 3." I glanced over my shoulder at my bar of customers and one of the guys gestured to his empty shot glass. I stretched the phone cord and grabbed the Crown bottle again, refilling each of the empty glasses. Spiky haired guy smirked at me again. I placed the bottle back on the shelf and turned to face the wall so I could talk without any of them hanging on my every word.

"Rylan, are you even listening?" Owen was saying.

"Huh?" I realized he had been in the middle of saying something and I had missed every word. "No, sorry. There's this creep at the bar. Won't stop smiling at me and it's giving me really bad vibes." I dropped my voice.

"You want me to come up there and kick his ass?" He asked, not even missing a beat.

"No!" I said quickly. "Jesus, Owen, that's the last thing I need. You beating up my customers. Even the weird ones. Just make sure you're here on time so this guy doesn't come back and try to corner me somewhere and manipulate me into going with him to buy more hair gel or something."

"Hair gel? What the hell does that mean?" Owen asked, sounding completely bewildered.

"It means he has bad hair. Just be here at 3." I said with a frustrated sigh.

Owen was laughing, sounding amused. "Yeah, no problem. Call me if you change your mind about the ass kicking."

There was a click and the line went dead. I hung the phone up in its cradle and busied myself printing off the receipt for the Crown shots. I slid it across the bar towards the group. One of them picked it up and called out the total amount. I went back to polishing glasses again as they each took out their wallets and handed dollar bills to their friend holding the bill. He carefully counted it out before pushing the pile of cash towards me.

"Keep the change." He said overconfidently.

I smiled. "Thanks. Have a nice day, guys."

Most of them were already turning away, jumping off their stools and joking loudly with each other as they headed back out. Of course, spiky haired guy was the one who lingered. He stood up and leaned across the bar towards me.

"Will you be here all night, Rylan?" He asked. I hated the way he said my name. It was annoying and cringeworthy all at once.

"Till closing time!" I lied easily. Hopefully by the time he came back, if he even did, I'd be long gone.

"Maybe I'll see you later then." He said with another smile. Then, much to my utter horror, he winked at me before trailing after his friends.

I was still standing there, frowning, when Emma appeared from around the corner with a drink tray tucked under her arm. "That was fast. Thank god." She said when she saw the empty bar. "Was it bad?"

"One of them winked at me." I shuddered.

"I think I just threw up in my mouth." She said quickly, before pretending to make a gagging noise. I let out a laugh, grabbing the money from the bar and counting. "What's the damage?"

I held up a single dollar bill and waved it at her. "Ten shots of Crown Royal and one big, whopping dollar tip."

"Woooowww." She drew the word out, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Don't spend it all at once!"

I snorted. "On what? A gumball?"

She shrugged her shoulders, flashing me a smile before turning and heading back into the dining room. I glanced at the time displayed on the computer behind me and groaned. The last two hours of a shift always seemed to drag on and on. I found this especially true when I had something to look forward to. These days, that was almost always Owen. I smiled, thinking about his reaction when I'd mentioned my creepy customer to him over the phone. I hadn't realized it then, but it sent a swell of happiness through me that he had offered to do that. Whether he actually meant it or not, I had no idea.

Our growing friendship was based on teasing and jokes and his flirting, which I attributed as part of his self-assured personality. Even though it'd gone from understated to blatant and almost shameless in the short amount of time we'd known one another. I'd already told Claire we were purely platonic friends, but it was hard to deny the annoying swarm of butterflies that magically appeared in my stomach whenever I saw him standing in the doorway of the patio, gesturing for me to hurry it up. It would be a bad, bad idea to fall for a guy like Owen Grady. The things he could make me feel with a single smile weren't healthy. It would be easy to lose myself in his easygoing personality, in the way his entire body lit up when he laughed. It would be so easy to… I shook the thought from my mind and tried to ignore the tiny voice in the back of my head. The one that was warning me it was already too late.

* * *

It was barely five minutes after three and I was already gathering up my jacket and my purse, rushing out the front door without so much as a goodbye to anyone. I maneuvered my way through the patio, letting myself out of the gate and onto the busy midway. I stood off to the side, out of the heavy pedestrian traffic as I looked for Owen. He was late, which was unusual for him. While there were plenty of the people in the world that were chronically late, or even early, Owen always seemed to be right on time. Something, he claimed, that was pure, god-given talent. I thought it was luck and his lateness today proved me right.

A sigh escaped me as I pulled the band from my hair, using my fingers to comb out the tangles. I was absentmindedly watching as a toddler had a fit in the middle of the street, her father red-faced and clearly embarrassed as he crouched in front of her and spoke in a low, stern voice.

"You're off early!"

My stomach curled unpleasantly at the familiar voice and I glanced over to see my spiky haired admirer from early sauntering towards me. He had only two of his friends from the original group with him, but they hung back. I quickly retied my ponytail and shot him what I hoped was a cool smile. I had to be nice to him when I was on the clock. Off the clock, that was a different story.

"Had my schedule mixed up." I explained, shifting myself away from him. He either didn't get the memo or didn't care because he followed my movements, still wearing that sickly charming smile.

"So I guess that means I can ask for your number now then, right?" He asked smoothly. I wondered how many times he'd fed this same line to some other girl. Maybe even that same day.

"I'm actually waiting for someone right now." I said in an uninterested tone, avoiding eye contact with him or either of his friends. There was an awkward silence. For me, that would've been the point where I walked away and tried my luck elsewhere. This guy, though, was clearly not used to taking no for an answer.

"Come on, you haven't even given me a chance yet." He leaned one shoulder against the wall, making himself comfortable as if to point out he wasn't leaving until he got what he wanted.

"I don't need to." I said tensely. The hair on my body was bristling from the way his dark eyes continued to stare at me. I cross my arms over my chest, trying to hide how uncomfortable he was making me. "I told you I'm waiting for someone. Jesus, I think I've made it pretty damn clear I'm not interested."

His eyes widened a little. He pushed himself off the wall. The smile was gone, lips forming a thin, hard line. "You're a tease, you know that?"

I swiveled my head, staring at him in awe. "I'm a tease?" I repeated incredulously. "Why? Because you want my number and I don't want to give it to you?"

His expression grew stormy, but I held my ground, fists clenched at my side. All of the sudden there was an arm slung protectively around my shoulder and the familiar smell of peppermint and earth. Owen. I breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing into him.

"Hey baby. Sorry I'm late." He said, smiling at me. He glanced towards the creep, giving him a disinterested once over. "Who's this?"

The creep sneered, looking between the two of us. "Seriously? What, did you get your brother to come down here and pretend to be your boyfriend?"

"You're an ass." I snapped at him before I could stop myself.

Owen seemed unfazed, an amused smile playing about his lips. I felt his hand gliding down to the small of my back and I gave him a questioning look. "Her brother probably wouldn't do this."

In one swift movement, he pulled me into his chest. I stared at him wordlessly, wondering what the hell was happening. Then, his mouth was suddenly on mine. I let out a soft gasp of surprise. My eyes fluttered shut on instinct, my arms sliding around his neck. His lips were softer than I expected, but had a taste to them that was somehow sweet and salty at the same time. His hands were warm and solid on my hips, and just the simplicity of his touch sent shivers coursing down my spine. It couldn't have lasted more than a second, but it felt like a lifetime inside my head.

When I opened my eyes, he was looking at me with a curious intensity, like I was something unexpected. I noticed then that my heart was sprinting in my chest. I cleared my throat and stepped away from him, cheeks burning. Owen kept one arm wrapped around my waist, looking back at the creep who I'd completely forgotten about for that one second. "Get the hell out of here, kid."

His neck was flushed red, his eyes glaring daggers at the pair of us. He looked like he wanted to spew more hate but thought better of it, turning and disappearing into the crowd with his confused friends jogging to catch up.

"Well, that was…" I began uncertainly, searching my brain for the appropriate adjective because there seemed to be dozens of options cycling through my head. "Unexpected."

"Got rid of him, didn't it?" Owen said smugly. He detached himself from me, nodding for me to follow him down Main Street. The look I'd seen on his face when we first pulled away had vanished, and made me begin to wonder if it had even been there at all. "You still wanna go fishing, or are you too busy swooning over how great a kisser I am?"

" _Great_? I mean, that seems like a pretty strong word…" I teased, hoping sarcasm would mask the fact that I was still recovering from said kiss. My heart refused to slow down. Even my head felt a little woozy.

He playfully nudged me with his shoulder. "Don't worry about it, newbie. I know I got you all weak in the knees."

 _You have no idea._

I rolled my eyes. "You wish."

He let out laugh, eyes dancing mischievously before suddenly grabbing my arm and tugging me down a concrete path that branched off from the midway, one I had never noticed before. "This way."

I could once again smell the ocean, hinting that we were getting close to the shoreline."Where are we going?" I asked.

"To my top secret make out spot." Owen answered, without missing a beat.

"Wait, what?" I asked, eyes snapping in his direction. "Your top secret make out spot? Is that even a thing?" This was a whole new level of flirting. While Owen had quit with the subtleness a while ago, this was much more than what what I was used to. I wondered if the brashness of that kiss had thrown our entire relationship off kilter. Maybe I wasn't the only one suffering from the aftershocks. Or maybe I was just reading into things way too much. For christ's sake, the guy had kissed me though! Kiss me. With his mouth. His perfect, delicious mouth…

"Why wouldn't it be? I can tell by the look in your eyes that your pretty excited about it." He teased and I shot him a disbelieving look as he pulled me back to earth. Thank god mind reading wasn't a real thing.

He darted out of the way as I tried to bump him off the pathway. "Keep it up, Grady." I warned. "You'll be hanging out by yourself."

He scoffed, falling back into step with me. "I don't believe that for a second. You can't resist me." He taunted.

 _Not when you smile at me like that_. _Or just randomly kiss me for that matter._

"Keep telling yourself that." I replied in a sing song voice, shaking my head.

His eyes seemed alight with amusement, the way he was watching me making me feel incredibly self conscious. He had absolutely no idea what he was doing to me. At this rate, I'd be a goner in no time. Maybe I already was.

The path suddenly opened up onto the beach, the pier and dock both visible in the distance. A few guests idled by the shoreline, jumping and laughing as the waves washed up on shore.

"Here's the thing about fishing." Owen said suddenly, the topic of conversation taking in abrupt turn. I let out an inward sigh of relief. I needed a distraction fast. "It's actually sort of boring, but I feel like it's a rite of passage in life."

I arched an eyebrow at him. "Says who? You?"

He grinned, giving me my answer. "Maybe you'll love it. Besides, who cares. I have some awesome planned for later this week to make up for it."

I knew better by now than to badger him about what it might be. "It better be…"

Owen suddenly wrapped an arm around my shoulder, drawing me close to him as we traipsed across the sand. "Nothing but the best for my girl."

 _His girl._

Yup. I was definitely in trouble.


	11. Chapter Ten

**CHAPTER TEN**

 _"HE WAS ALWAYS KEEPING ME ON MY TOES AND I WAS ALWAYS FINDING OUT THINGS ABOUT HIM THAT SURPRISED ME"_

 _SONG TO LISTEN TO:_ CLOSER _BY_ _TEGAN AND SARA_

I walked down the midway, sunglasses perched on top of my head and a cup of coffee in one hand, an iced chai tea in the other. Violet's favorite. I was feeling guilty I'd been neglecting both her and Claire. I hadn't really been too specific on who was taking up all my extra time, but the huge grin on Violet's face when she saw me was answer enough.

"Well, well, well look who it is!" She greeted me.

I smiled sheepishly and handed her the tea. "I know, I'm sorry. I'm a bad friend."

She grinned back and took a sip from the clear cup. "It's a start. Chai tea is the way to my heart after all…But I can't really forgive you fully until you confirm that the reason you've been M.I.A. is because of a certain Owen Grady?"

I rolled my eyes, and she laughed before setting the cup down and going back to checking off a list secured to the clipboard in her hand. "It's not like that…we're just friends." I insisted, sounding unconvincing even to myself

Violet gave me a look, raising a dark eyebrow. "I haven't seen him spend this much time with anyone, unless you count those giant, sharp-toothed lizards of his."

"I dunno." I shrugged, trying to brush it off like it was no big deal when really my pulse trilled in response to what Violet had admitted. "Maybe he just feels sad for me because I lived such a sheltered life before coming here."

She smirked, tucking a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. "Keep telling yourself that."

I leaned against the railing of Mo's pool, watching as one of her giant fins emerged from the water only to splash right back down and send a huge surge of water into the air. "I'm ignoring that last part and going to work now." I looked over my shoulder and gave her a sarcastic glare.

"Fine, live a life of denial. You better make some time for me soon, though." She warned, pointing her pen at me.

I held my hand over my heart. "Scout's honor. I'll text you later."

She waved, pen still in hand, before her eyes averted back to her clipboard and she disappeared behind an 'employees only' door. I left the stadium, taking careful sips of my hot coffee as I weaved my way through the crowd of guests on my way to work. I heard a muffle beeping sound coming from my back pocket and pulled out my phone. I was almost ashamed at the huge smile that tugged at my lips when Owen's name lit up the screen.

 **O: _'_** _ **What time are u off tonite?'**_

I didn't think it was possible but my smile grew. I could sense another adventure happening in the near future.

 **R: '** **Early shift today. Should be done around 3?'**

I walked into work to find the restaurant already buzzing with an early lunch rush. I slid behind the bar, punching in my clock-in number on the computer. I drained the last of my coffee and tossed the empty cup into the trash.

"Just in time, I need three strawberry daiquiris." Emma called to me as she appeared out of the kitchen with a plate in each hand. "Your favorite! I know how much you love using the blender!" She grinned at me over her shoulder. This had been a running joke with everyone I worked with after I misplaced the blender lid one night and tried to cover it with a plate. It hadn't worked and I'd smelled like banana daiquiri for the rest of my five hour shift.

I groaned before ducking underneath the counter to pull the blender out from where I'd stored it the night before. I felt my phone buzz inside my pocket again, making my pulse jump. I waited until I finished making all the drinks, topping each of them with a heap of whipped cream, before slipping me phone out and checking his text.

 **O:** _ **'** **Cool. Meet you there then.'**_

I leaned back against the counter, chewing my lip thoughtfully as I crafted my response.

 **R: '** **Pretty bold of you, assuming I don't have other plans.'**

 **O:** _ **'** **Do you?'**_

 **R: '…'**

 **O:** _ **'** **That's what I thought ;) See you at 3!'**_

I stared at my screen. A winky face? Seriously?

Now he was being an ass considering I'd specifically told him I hated when people did that. It always made it seem like the message had a creepy undertone.

 **R: '** **Don't ever send me that again.'**

 **O:** _ **'** **;) ;) ;)'**_

I laughed under my breath, shaking my head.

"You're smiling pretty damn hard at that phone."

My eyes snapped forward at the sound of Claire's voice. I suddenly felt like I'd been caught doing something bad, even though I knew I hadn't done anything. I made a show of rolling my eyes, casually sliding my phone back into my pocket. "One of those stupid youtube videos. Lots of cats being all cute. Wanna see?"

She made a face. "No."

I grinned. "Thought so. What's up anyways? I thought we had breakfast plans for the morning?"

She shrugged. "Was on my way to get coffee and thought I'd stop in for a minute and say hi." she glanced down at her cell phone to check the time. "Literally a minute, though, cause I have a meeting at noon."

"Well hi!"

She laughed. "What're you doing tonight? If I can close this deal before three I might actually have some free time later."

I felt my cheeks grow warm. Damn my emotions, always giving me away. "Kinda have plans already." I was saved by a drink order popping up from the printer behind me. I grabbed the slip and went to work. Claire was watching me with an interested expression.

"With?" She prodded.

I avoided her gaze as I poured a shot of whiskey into a glass before filling it the rest of the way with coke. "Owen." I finally answered. My eyes flickered towards her uneasily, just in time to see her sit back in the chair and cross her arms over her teal blouse.

"You guys have been spending a lot of time together." I couldn't tell if she was just making a statement or trying to insinuate something more.

I sighed, spearing a couple of olives onto a pick and plopping them into a dirty martini. "Listen, I know you don't get it but we're friends. We get along really well." I shrugged.

"I'm just surprised. I've never really seen him hit it off with anybody the entire time he's been here." She commented. I noted that this was exactly what Violet had said not too earlier.

I pushed the drinks towards the end of the bar where the server would pick them up. "So I've heard."

"It's okay, Ry. I don't care, and I know you. You wouldn't care if I did. You do what you want, remember?" She said, and gave me a tiny smile. "Just make sure there's still time for me."

Most people wouldn't have noticed the hint of insecurity in her voice, but I'd known her for too long not to hear it. "Hey, don't be stupid." I reached across the bar and squeezed her hand.

She squeezed it back before pulling away to brush her bangs out of her eyes. "I know, I know." Her phone suddenly let out a series of loud beeps and she sighed. "I better run. See you tomorrow?"

I nodded. "Yup, bright and early."

She carefully slid off the barstool and readjusted the strap of her purse before giving me one last smile. "Have fun later. I mean it."

I felt one side of my lips tug into a smile. I wasn't sure if she actually meant it, but I appreciated her saying it anyways. She was trying, which for Claire, was more than enough. I still didn't understand how the two of them had managed to go on half a date together. After getting to know Owen, they were nothing alike. Claire needed somebody who would cater to her and let her wear the pants in the relationship. She loved control, while I absolutely hated when things were unnaturally structured and straight forward. There was no way Owen could be controlled by anybody. That was one of the reasons I liked him so much…he was always keeping me on my toes and I was always finding out things about him that surprised me.

I was also feeling both weirdly touched and unnecessarily guilty that Claire seemed to feel like I was pushing her to the side to make room for Owen. Which wasn't true. I could understand, or at least try to understand, why her life needed so much structure and scheduling. It'd be chaos without it. I made a mental note to make more of an effort to bring her coffee in the morning or stop by her place after work just to see her, like I'd done when I'd first arrived on the island and hadn't made any other friends yet. I wanted Claire to know she was still the most important person in my life. I glanced over my should as another drink other came through.

* * *

Three o'clock came around faster than usual and I found myself unable to hold back my grin when Owen showed up right on time. He hovered near the bar as I punched out and squeezed past the night bartender.

"How'd you get out of work so early today?" I asked him as we walked out of the restaurant and fell into step on the midway.

"That's why I have Barry. He can handle things when I'm not around." He answered nonchalantly. "Although he was pretty jealous when I told him what I had planned.'

"And what's that exactly?" I asked, looking up at him curiously. Why did he always have to look so perfectly disheveled? Was it really possible for a person to look so good while also looking like they hadn't even tried at all?

"You suck at driving a motorcycle, but how are you with a kayak?" He asked with one of his heart pound inducing crooked grins.

"Uhh…."

He laughed and casually slung an arm over my shoulder. "Guess we'll find out.

"Yeah, guess so." I breathed, trying to figure out why just the simple act of him being close made me feel so out of control.

I watched as Owen and another park employee whom I hadn't met before, Ben, unloaded two kayaks from the top of the SUV. I had tried to help but when I'd almost cracked a window with the tip of the kayak, Owen decided they were better off without my assistance. Not like it was hard for him, with arms like that. He probably could've done it himself.

I turned around and paced towards the river, hands on my hips. The water streamed by at a lazy pace, the wild-life growing around it untamed making me almost forget this was a theme park and not a rogue jungle. When we'd first arrived at the attraction (Cretaceous Cruise- I still didn't understand why all theme park attractions have to have names that were alliterations), I'd gone to get in line when Owen held me back and claimed he knew a better place. He'd paid Ben a couple of bucks to drive us a few miles down the road to the river's source.

"Leave your stuff in the car, Ben's gonna put it in a locker and we'll get it later." Owen's voice came from behind me as he dragged a kayak towards the edge of the water.

I shrugged off my purse and turned my phone on silent before shutting it into the car, hoping Ben was as trustworthy as he looked. As soon as I'd slammed the door, Ben had waved at me before starting the car and backing out towards the road. When I made it back to edge of the water, Owen was knee deep in the stream grinning at me.

"Hop in."

"In my shoes?" I asked uncertainly.

"Take them off, genius." He said, pointing to where his boots sat in the bottom of the second kayak he was holding onto.

I sighed, sitting on the ground and carefully untying my converse sneakers, stuffing my socks into the toes of the shoes. I held them in my hands as I waded out into the water. "Holy shit, this is freezing."

"Would you stop complaining and get in the boat for christ's sake?" He said, nudging the kayak towards me.

I made a face at him, grabbing onto the boat and willing myself to climb in as gracefully as possible. Of course that didn't happen. I was barely in when it started wobbling and I clung to either side with both hands as Owen laughed and reached out to steady it. "Do me a favor and try not to fall out, yeah?" He joked.

"No promises, we both know I'm the most uncoordinated person on the planet." I pointed out, not feeling much safer with the boat still.

"Ain't that the damn truth." Owen muttered. He let go of my boat long enough to jump into his and I glared at how easy it had been for him. Always so smooth. The slow current started to drag us down the river and I gripped onto my paddle, waiting for Owen to get situated. "Okay, you know how this works right? One side, then the other." He demonstrated it for me, his kayak gliding forward effortlessly. I mimicked him and grinned when I realized how easy it was.

A few minutes later and I was ahead of him. "You gotta keep up, Grady!" I called back to him.

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Keep it up. We'll see how many more trips I take you on."

He started to say something but it was lost on me when I rounded the bend just in time to see a triceratops submerged in the water up to it's chest. A smaller one that must've been it's baby sat in the mud on the shore. On the opposite side, a brontosaurus was dipping it's head into the river and lazily lapping up water with it's tongue. I froze, paddling forgotten as I stared. It tilted it's head curiously to one side, watching me with mild interest as I coasted past. Owen had caught up to me by now, although I was barely aware of him as I stared at the massive dinosaurs on either side of the river bank.

"Is this ever going to feel normal?" I asked him in awe.

He let out a laugh. "Is it even normal to begin with?"

My lack of an answer was enough. No, it wasn't. Paddling down a river in a kayak while prehistoric animals milled about was definitely not normal and most likely never would be. I craned my neck, staring behind me at the baby triceratops and it's parent until they were too far away. When I turned back around, it was Owen who was ahead of me now. I paddled quickly to catch up to him.

"This is freaking cool." I said, giving him a big, excited grin.

"Told you." He answered, returning my grin with a smug one of his own.

We slowed down after that, wanting to take our time as the current helped to carry us down the river. Much to my astonishment, the dinosaurs weren't shy about us being close. Owen said most of the ones on the route the regular guests took were a little bit more wary and kept their distance. Out here, though, with just the two of us, we were less intimidating.

"Do you think they'd let me touch them?" I suddenly asked, more out of curiosity than an actual desire to do so. The little ones, like the babies used at the petting zoo, I didn't have any concerns about. It was the big mommy and daddy ones I was worried would take it the wrong way and come after me.

"Probably…I mean it's like any other animal. You just gotta gain it's trust." Owen shrugged. "Watch." He suddenly changed directions and headed towards the shoreline, where a brontosaurus was wading in the water with it's two front legs.

"Owen…" I warned, watching as he moved closer to the animal. "Scientifically resurrected or not, it's still a wild animal."

"It's fine. I do this for a living." He scoffed. He gripped the sides of his kayak and adjusted himself into crouch, finding his balance before standing. It wobbled unsteadily underneath him and I had a visual of what was going to happen before anything even did. He reached out a hand towards the brontosaurus and just as he was about a foot away, it suddenly moved it's long neck. Startled, Owen fell backwards. Right into the water.


	12. Chapter Eleven

_**CHAPTER ELEVEN**_

 _"MY BODY STARTED TO UNWILLINGLY REACT TO HIS CLOSENESS, PULSE JUMPING AND STOMACH FLUTTERING"_

 _SONG TO LISTEN TO:_ HEARTBEAT _BY_ _MAT KEARNEY_

I watched, wide eyed and shocked, before bursting into laughter. Owen popped right back up, and judging from the look on his face, he was also surprised. This only made me laugh harder. It was the kind of laughter that made me double over and laugh so hard, my stomach muscles began to ache. He glared at me as he grabbed onto his kayak to keep it from getting away.

"Hey, Owen!" I called out, unable to stop myself. "Try not to fall out!" I mimicked him, using the same words he had used to tease me with when we had first gotten into our kayaks.

The water was only about chest deep on him, which I hadn't realized until he suddenly started wading towards me. I pointed my oar at him threateningly. "Don't you dare come any closer to me, Owen Grady." I recognized the mischievous look on his face instantly, which made me feel very afraid.

I jabbed him in the chest with the oar once, which didn't do anything considering the embarrassingly weak state of my upper body strength. He arched an eyebrow, giving me an amused smile. "Really, Rylan? That was pathetic."

"I swear if you even touch me or this boat-" I warned him. He grabbed onto my oar and easily yanked it out of my grasp, like he hadn't even heard me.

He flashed me a wicked smirk that distracted me just long enough for him to grab the edge of the kayak and easily dump me out of it into the freezing cold water. I would've been embarrassed by the scream that left my mouth if there had been enough time before I went under. When I finally resurfaced, gasping for breath, Owen was the one laughing.

"You are such an ass!" I yelled, pushing the kayak from in between us and trying to launch myself towards him. The water was almost up to my chin, though, and he easily dived out of the way.

"You started it!" He protested, still grinning as I tried to come at him again and missed.

"What? You were the idiot that fell out while trying to pet a freaking dinosaur! _Oh, don't worry I'm a professional!_ " I said, in my best imitation of Owen.

He frowned at me. "Was that supposed to be me?"

"Yes. Sorry if that's how you actually sound." I shot back. I pushed a wave of water towards him, splashing him in the face. He sputtered, spitting water out of his mouth and wiping it from his eyes. I couldn't control it. For the first time I could remember in a very long time, I actually giggled. Giggled.

"Oh, so now it's funny again?" He questioned, playfully narrowing his eyes at me. Out of the corner of my eye I could see our kayaks slowly floating further downstream but I was entirely too focused on Owen to care.

I nodded. "I mean, yeah. Kind of!" I was trying to back away from him, but wasn't getting very far thanks to the deepness of the water and the fact that I was trying to push myself upstream.

He dove towards me, and my reflexes weren't fast enough to save me. He caught me around the waist and I let out high pitched squeak as he dragged me underneath the water with him. I was already laughing when I broke the surface.

"Why are you trying to drown me!" I managed to choke out in-between laughs. I tried to wriggle out of his grip, but he held on.

"I'm not!" He protested, blinking water from his eyes. His lashes looked longer than usual, with the beads of water clinging to them. "I'm just trying to teach you a lesson about why it's not nice to laugh at other people's misfortunes!"

"Misfortune?" I grinned. "That was not a misfortune…that was just you being an idiot."

He quirked an eyebrow. "Pretty bold statement for a girl who can't even dodge a water tackle."

"Maybe I can't fight back now, but just wait until we're back on land." I cracked. He smirked at me, and I suddenly very aware of the way his hands felt on my waist, and the way his shirt was clinging to his chest and shoulders like a second skin. I felt heat creeping up the back of my neck. "I hope you know you're chasing both those kayaks down." I said, abruptly changing the subject as I finally managed to squirm away from him.

"Oh shit!" He whirled around and I peered over his shoulder to see our two kayaks were nothing more than blue dots in the distance. He scrambled towards the shore and I followed, slipping and sliding up the muddy embankment after him. He turned to make sure I'd made it up alright and froze, blue eyes sweeping me up and down. "That's a good look on you." He snickered.

I managed to scowl at him despite feeling extremely self-conscious. I glanced down at myself to see that not only was I soaking, but mud caked the front of my jeans and my purple Margaritaville t-shirt. Great. I looked back at Owen and noticed he had somehow miraculously made it up the river bank without a speck of mud on any of his clothing. In a stroke of boldness that came out of nowhere, I stepped towards him and smeared mud from my hand onto his cheek. The look of shock on his face made me bubble over with laughter again. "Whadya know? It's a good look for you too!"

"You think you're pretty funny, don't you?" He asked, lips twitching into a small smile. He lifted the hem of his shirt to wipe the mud from his face leaving me to gape at his exposed stomach before quickly averting my eyes. I turned around started walking along the river in an attempt to not only catch up with our runaway kayaks but to put some much needed space between me and Owen's perfectly sculpted abdominals.

"I think I'm hilarious." I called over my shoulder, correcting him. "Hurry up! My favorite shoes are getting away!"

It didn't take long to find the kayaks. Both of them had been slowed to a stop by a fallen tree that blocked half of the river. My paddle was long gone, though, which meant there was nothing to do besides sit and float until the river finally branched over to join up with the much wider, crowded one that was used for the guest attraction. I tried to avoid the stares we were getting as we tugged our kayaks onto the shore, both of us still wet and me still covered head to toe in mud. I rinsed my feet at the edge of the water as best I could before pulling my shoes back on. Owen, who had disappeared to make sure the kayaks got returned, came back a minute later with my purse in his hand.

I slung the strap across my chest before trying to run my fingers through my damp, unruly hair. "You still think I'm an ass?" Owen asked with a smile, rocking back on his heels.

I raised my eyebrows at him before letting out a sigh. "Despite the fact that I look like some sort of jungle heathen now, no I don't hate you. I actually think I had fun despite your being an ass." I joked. "You still have mud on your face, though."

"Really?" He asked sarcastically. "I wonder who's fault that is?"

"Shut up and hold still." I muttered. Before I could really think through what I was doing, I stepped closer to him and using one hand on his shoulder for balance, I stood on my tiptoes and began to wipe the mud from his cheek with the thumb of my other hand. I tried not blush as he shamelessly stared at me, a tiny, amused smile playing about his lips. I was close enough to feel his breath against my skin, his damp shirt brushing against mine. My body started to unwillingly react to his closeness, pulse jumping and stomach fluttering. It would've been so easy to stand up on my tippy toes and brush my lips against is. My stomach twisted into a knot, thinking about the salty sweet taste of his lips. The urge had been there, hiding away in the back of my mind, ever since he had kissed me on the midway. What had I said to both Claire and Violet that morning? What did I keep insisting on telling them every time they asked? _'Owen and I are just friends'?_

He suddenly reached up and caught my wrist in his hand. "You okay?" He asked, brow creasing.

"What? Yeah! Why?" I asked quickly, tugging my hand from his grasp and taking a much needed step away.

He shrugged. "Your cheeks are doing that thing when they get all pink…what's that called? Blushing?" He teased.

I made a face at him. "Please, you are so full of yourself." I turned around and headed back down the path that led back towards Main Street. He caught up with me, matching my stride.

"Aw come on, Ry." He gently bumped his shoulder against mine. "It's a part of my charm. Don't you know that by now?"

"Ry?" I repeated, looking up at him in surprise. "You know what I just realized? You haven't called me 'newbie' or 'new girl' in days and now I'm getting 'Ry'….does this mean I've graduated from new person to normal person?"

He chuckled. "I dunno about normal…"

"Wow, this is a big deal!" I ignored him, pretending to look impressed with myself. "I think this calls for a celebration."

"Tequila?" He asked, eyes lighting up.

"Tequila." I agreed.

I felt his hand on the small of my back, guiding me through a particularly dense crowd of people. It couldn't have been more than a few seconds, but the entire time, I was hyperaware of how close I'd been pushed into him as the crowd bumped around us. The second the crowd had passed, I put a good two feet in between us. I knew he'd noticed by the curious look he'd given me, but knew better than to ask. Better he wonder than me try to explain that being anywhere near him made it hard for me to control the temptation curling in my stomach.

Owen wanted to sit at an actual table in Margaritaville, which I would've been fine with except for the fact that I was covered in mud and it was starting to feel incredibly uncomfortable. So instead, somehow, Owen managed to convince Denny to sell him a bottle of tequila from behind the bar which made me wonder if it wasn't the first time. I was completely dry by the time Owen dropped me off at home to shower and change, the mud coated on my arms and legs starting to crack.

As I stood underneath the stream of hot water, I had more time than I wanted to to evaluate my feelings for Owen. From the first day I'd met him, I was stunned by how good looking he was (despite Claire's less than stellar opinion of him) but if there was one thing my mom had instilled in me during my teenage years, it was that sometimes a pretty face was just a pretty face. This was clearly not the case with Owen who was also funny, smart, witty, and yes maybe also a little bit too full of himself but sometimes I caught myself actually _liking_ his self-assurance which only added to this annoying irresistible charm he had.

Then there was the fact that it felt I already knew him after just those first few days of knowing him. People in my life had mentioned that feeling before, of having met someone and having an instant connection that eventually made it hard to remember there was a time in your life when they hadn't even existed. I didn't know if that was exactly the way I felt with Owen, but sometimes it seemed pretty damn close. Then, of course, there was the lingering, unavoidable stir of awareness and excitement from when he had unexpectedly kissed me. I had sworn to myself to keep things simple with him, to aim for a friendship. Nothing more, nothing less. I couldn't think straight when he was around, couldn't keep at bay the urge to get closer. All I could do was hope I hadn't surpassed the nothing more part without even knowing it.

The sun was just finally starting to sink beneath the horizon when I stepped outside my trailer, hair still wet and wearing a clean pair of jeans and a tank top. Sunsets on the island never failed to amaze, with the impressive streaks of oranges, pinks, and reds that made the sky look more like a watercolor painting than the actual real thing. Owen was already outside when I trailed across his yard. He'd cleaned up too, wearing a blue shirt that made the color of his eyes impossible to overlook.

He smiled when he saw me, holding out a paper cup. I gave it curious look as I took it from him. "Is this a mouthwash cup?" I asked.

Owen shrugged. "Beggars can't be choosers. I'm fresh outta regular shot glasses so it was this, or drinking straight out of the bottle like a bunch of teenagers who broke into the liquor cabinet."

"I don't know what kind of teenager you were, but I never did that." I sank down onto the steps next to him. The strong smell of tequila hit me as I held the cup to my lips, making my nostrils sting.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Owen said quickly, placing his hand on my arm and gently pushing it down. "We're supposed to cheers first, or it's bad luck. I though college was supposed to teach that kinda stuff."

I rolled my eyes. "Once again, I don't know what kind of youth you had, but mine wasn't quite as filled with shots of liquor."

"It must've been at some point," He grinned at me. "Because when I first met you, you took that shot with me like a champ."

A smile automatically lifted the corner's of my lips I thought back to the first time I'd ever seen Owen sitting at my bar. "I don't think we did a cheers then, though."

"It was different then, I barely knew you." Owen said matter-of-factly. He held his tiny cup out and nodded at me to raise mine as well. "You do the honors."

I chewed thoughtfully on my lower lip for a moment before finally clearing my throat. "To living…and to surviving all of your crazy adventures."

He pressed his cup against mine, arching an eyebrow in amusement when I made a 'clink' sound since our cups were made of paper instead of actual glass. "And to the hundreds of others that I'm definitely going to put you through."

I tilted my head back and tipped the tequila into my mouth, feeling a tiny thrill flit through me at the promise of more time spent with Owen.


	13. Chapter Twelve

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

 _"UNPREDICTABLE. IT WAS BECOMING MY FAVORITE WORD TO PARTNER WITH OWEN GRADY"_

 _SONG TO LISTEN TO:_ LITTLE BIT _BY_ _PERRIN LAMB_

"I feel like I haven't seen you in weeks." I said into the phone, leaning against the cool window of the monorail.

"It definitely hasn't been that long, but I get what you're saying." Claire sighed on the other end. "I promise we'll make plans soon. Things should start to slow down by the end of the month.

"You don't need to be sorry." I reminded her. "You're a busy, important person and I'm totally fine with that. Besides, I've made other friends so at least I'm not home alone wallowing in misery all the time."

She laughed. "Yeah, you and Owen are getting pretty cozy…"

I was glad she wasn't there to see the burning in my cheeks. "Not talking about this again. Just friends, remember?" The phrase put a strange taste into my mouth and I wondered if the doubtfulness in my voice was only noticeable to me.

"Friends or not, I still don't get the appeal of spending time with him." Claire said causally. There was the sound of an elevator pinging in the background. I smiled a little, shaking my head. I'd given up on trying to explain this to her a while ago and wasn't about to jump right back into that pointless argument. As if sensing this, Claire went on. "I'm not going to give you a hard time, though, because you clearly like hanging out with him. So to each their own."

"Thank you for that kindness." I joked.

"You're so welcome." She quipped. "Alright, I'm about to finally be home for the first time since 5am so I'm gonna let you go. I'll try and stop by the bar and see you later this week."

"Looking forward to seeing your beautiful face!" I said cheerfully.

"Yours too! Bye!"

I hit the red 'end call' button and slid my phone back into my pocket. The monorail continued it's streak through the forest, winding around the outside of the park. The familiar ride was sometimes enough to lull me to sleep for the short ride it took from Main Street to home, but tonight I was wide awake. It was never a good idea to drink coffee past 6pm but when did I ever take my own advice? We finally began to slow down as the well lit platform came into view. I stood up from my seat and shouldered my purse, waiting for the doors to glide open with their futuristic whooshing noise.

It was late, only a few windows in the mobile home park glowed yellow. The moon hung low in the sky, though, giving me just enough light to see by. The gravel road crunched under my feet as I made the short walk. It wasn't until I was almost outside my front door when I noticed the flickering glow of firelight coming from Owen's place. My attraction to Owen had only been a tiny dilemma at first…something that was obviously there but easily controlled. Ever since he had kissed me, though, my whole head was a mess of wonderings and what-ifs. The reason he had done it was incredibly clear, but I couldn't stop picturing that look on his face when we had pulled away. It was driving me crazy. Almost as crazy as my unhealthy compulsion to do it again.

I barely hesitated half a second before dropping my purse off inside and heading in his direction. The porch light that usually flooded his yard with a yellow glow was off for once. The only light came from the twinkling christmas lights strung up around the deck's railing and the orange glare from the fire. He had his back to me, sitting in a rickety plastic lawn chair. I plopped down into the empty one next to him, returning his surprised look with a grin.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself." He countered, giving me an impish grin of his own. "Was wondering if I'd see you tonight."

I tried and failed to control the jump in my pulse. "Well here I am."

He suddenly leaned over the side of his chair, rummaging around in a cooler before handing me a cold, unopened can of beer. "Good, now you can drink with me."

"Gladly." I said, happily taking the can from him and popping it open. I took a long sip before settling myself in my chair, scooting a little bit closer to the warm flames. "How was your day?"

He shrugged half-heartedly. "It was alright. Some asshole from Ingen won't stop coming around and bugging me though. Thinks he knows more about my raptors than I do."

"Why, what does he want from them?" I asked curiously.

Owen flashed me a devious smile. "Nothing if I can help it."

"There it is, that Owen Grady brashness I've come to know and love so very much." I teased. My phone suddenly beeped from my pocket and I made a face, wondering who the hell would be bothering me so late at night. I pulled it out and swiped my thumb across the glowing screen. "This has to be a joke."

"What?" Owen asked, leaning towards me to get a look at the phone's screen. I showed him the text message that had just been sent moments before from my overbearing ex-boyfriend who just couldn't seem to get a clue. I watched as he read through it, letting out a low whistle when he had finished. "This guy is somethin' else. Haven't you told him it's over?"

"Yes!" I exclaimed. "Only a million times. He's either really stupid or really stubborn."

"Probably the first one." Owen grinned, leaning back in his chair. He took another drink from his can. "I take it you didn't get that kind of vibe from him at first, though, otherwise you wouldn't have gone out with him."

I sighed before making the decision to shut my phone completely off and forget about it. Maybe a few more weeks of ignoring him would get the point across. "No, he seemed normal when I met him. Like extremely normal."

"That's the problem right there." Owen said pointedly.

I wrinkled my nose. "Being normal is a problem?"

He laughed. "No, I just mean it doesn't work when it comes to relationships. Why would you settle for something that you can only describe as _normal_? Especially when there's probably somebody else out there that can give you more than that."

I studied the flickering flames of the fire as his words sank in. "Now that you said that, I think that's the reason why none of my relationship have ever worked."

"Maybe. You want somebody who makes you crazy for all the right reasons. Not the wrong ones." He added, pointing his beer can towards me.

"Pretty deep. Who made you the love guru?"

"Nobody." He shrugged, flashing me a grin. "I'm just telling you what I think. You don't have to listen to me."

"Well, then I'd have to say the majority of my relationships have been either the bad kind of crazy, or just boring, normal no crazy at all." I said thoughtfully, pulling my legs up onto the chair and crossing them indian style. "Not that I've really had that many to begin with."

"Preaching to the choir." Owen said

I looked at him in surprise. "Really?"

A small smile played about his lips. "Is that really that shocking? I mean, I was in the Navy for a while, then I came here. I haven't exactly had a whole lot of options or time."

I nodded and took a long sip from the cold beer can in my hands before going on. "Not when you put it like that, I guess. It's just that you're so…"

"Charming and desirable?" He interrupted, giving me a cheeky smile.

I shot him a look, although he wasn't exactly wrong. "I was gonna say confident or suave, but those work too."

"I always knew you liked me." He teased and I was thankful it was dark enough to hide the pink flush in my cheeks. "If you really wanna know, though, it's not that I don't date. I do….but remember when you told me how you don't wanna live a normal, boring life?" He asked and I nodded, suddenly finding myself hanging onto his every word. He was looking into the fire now, the glow from the flames flickering over his face. "That's kinda how I feel about relationships. I don't want normal, ordinary stuff. If I'm gonna be with somebody, I want to be crazy enough about them that I'm doing all sorts of shit I swore I'd never do. Like feed their cat when their on vacation even though I hate cats or something. And as of right now, nobody's ever fit the mold. So here I am…an eternal bachelor." He finished, finally looking over towards me, where I was curled up in my chair.

Unpredictable. It was becoming my favorite word to partner with Owen Grady. I felt like I could revel in the unexpectedness of him forever. I caught myself wondering what he thought about me. If to him, I was something out of the ordinary. "You are full of surprises, Grady." I finally said, smiling softy to myself. "And you're kind of a sap." I added in a teasing voice.

He smirked. "Yeah, well, that's why I don't go around telling that to everybody I meet."

I felt a swell of happiness suddenly begin to stir in me. _He had told me though_. I mimed drawing an 'x' over my heart. "Your sappy secrets are safe with me. Cross my heart."

"Like you don't have your own sappy secrets." He snorted. He drained the rest of the beer from his can and dug into the cool for a new one.

"If I did, I'm not sure I'd tell them to you." I grinned. I once again suddenly felt thankful that Owen was unable to hear the inner monologues that sometimes went through my head whenever he was around.

He gave me a feigned, innocent wide eyed look. "And here I am, bearing my soul to you without expecting anything in return."

I laughed loudly. "I'm sorry! I really don't have any!"

"I don't even believe you…but don't worry. I have my ways of finding things out." He smirked, settling back in his chair.

I perked an eyebrow. "You do realize how creepy that sounds, right?"

"No, it was supposed to sound mysterious." He corrected me. I laughed, suddenly realizing that I hadn't stopped smiling once since sitting down with him. It was so easy with him. I didn't have to think about what I was going to say, I didn't have to try and censor myself or come up with the perfect response. He didn't expect me to be anything but myself, and that made me feel more content than I had in a long time.

"Can I have another beer?" I asked as I finished up the last sip of mine.

"You sure you can handle it?" He joked. "I know what a lush you are."

I stuck my tongue out at him and he chuckled before grabbing another can and handing it to me. My fingers brushed his for only half a second, but I was hyper aware of it none the less.

We sat in front of the fire until the flames began to die and only the embers burned. Talking about everything and nothing. I was still curled up on my chair, ignoring the awkwardness of the position I had folded my body into in an attempt to get comfortable when I heard him get up to extinguish the embers. I let my eyes shut as I teetered on the edge of sleep. Owen's voice was suddenly in my ear, saying something I couldn't understand. Then, I was out.

* * *

I let out a groan, rolling over onto my side. I felt warm and strangely comfortable. The last thing I remembered was dozing off in Owen's plastic lawn chair. I must've made it home to my bed at some point, though. Unless…another thought crept into my head and my eyes flew open. I felt disoriented for a minute as I stared at an unfamiliar wooden nightstand. I reached past a book that was teetering on the edge and turned the black alarm clock to face me. 7am. My eyes slid from the clock to the wood paneled wall and cracked open closet door. I glanced down to see I was wrapped in a dark blue comforter. My stomach leapt anxiously. I was in Owen's bed.

I rolled over onto my other side and gave a sharp intake of breath. Owen was sleeping on his stomach, arms both shoved underneath his pillow. I knew I was staring, but I couldn't stop. He looked so…cute. His hair was sticking up on one side, lips just barely parted as he breathed deeply in and out. He must have carried me inside after I'd fallen asleep. I felt a sudden flood of affection towards him. So much for keeping my feelings in check.

"I can feel you staring at me." He suddenly grumbled, making me jump.

"Jesus Christ, Owen!" I breathed, pushing my hair out of my face. "You scared the crap out of me."

He slowly opened his eyes, squinting at me with a sleepy expression. "That's what you get for being a creep and watching me sleep."

I tried to fight the reddening in my cheeks. "I was not watching you." I scoffed. "Maybe you shouldn't pretend to be asleep when you're really awake."

"For your information, I was asleep until about five seconds ago." He grunted, closing his eyes again. "What time is it?"

"Seven." I answered, pulling the blankets back up to my chin. I stretched my legs out, wriggling my toes. I was surprised he had even taken the time to pull my shoes off. "You could've just woken me up, you know."

He snorted, opening his eyes again. "I tried. It was like trying to wake the dead."

I let out a laugh. "Whatever, you just wanted to get me in your bed."

"It worked, didn't it?" He smirked, reaching over and tugging on a strand of my hair.

I lazily swatted his hand away. "Yeah, well considering I'm still fully clothed and I was sober last night it's safe to say nothing happened but sleep."

"Even if you had been drunk, you would remember it. I'm kinda hard to forget." Owen shrugged and this time, there was no fighting the heat that crept into my cheeks.

My eyebrows shot up as I gave him an incredulous look. "You're incredibly cocky. Did you know that?"

"You want me to prove it to you? I got some time before work." He suggested casually, giving me a flirtatious smirk that made my stomach flip flop. I stared at him, my brain fumbling for a response and failing miserable. Owen let out a loud laugh, rolling onto his back. "Come on, I'm messing with you. I just like watching you blush."

I threw out my arm, punching him in the side. "You're an ass."

"You like it." He grinned. I rolled my eyes but my lack of an actual response spoke volumes. He sat up then, running both hands through his untidy hair. It was sticking up in every direction and was annoyingly adorable, a word I had never expected to associate with him. "You hungry?"

I patted my stomach. "You should know I'm usually always hungry."

"Good because so am I. Bathroom's there if you wanna clean up. Kitchen is through the living room." He pointed towards a wooden door that branched off of the bedroom.

When he was gone, I rolled onto my back and stretched my arms over my head. Then I swung my feet onto the ground and padded cautiously into the bathroom. I peered around the door, flicking the light on. I was always apprehensive about using a single man's bathroom. Nine times out of ten it was a disaster area, one that looked like it hadn't been cleaned since it'd been installed. I was both relieved surprised, though, to find Owen's bathroom was decent. It was small, room enough for a sink, toilet, and a ceramic tub with a deep green shower curtain. There was a small pile of discarded clothes on the ground and I nudged them out of the way with my foot as I moved inside and shut the door behind me.

When I'd finished washing up, going as far as to use my finger for a toothbrush, I found my way through the bedroom and into the living room. I looked around curiously, since I'd been fast asleep when Owen had carried me inside the night before. Like the bathroom, though, it was a lot cleaner than I'd been expecting. The front door opened into the living room where an old leather couch was pushed up against one wall, mismatched pillows resting against the cushions. A glass coffee table sat in front of it, covered in National Geographics and a couple of empty glasses and beer bottles. I wasn't surprised there was no TV though. Just a shelf with a stereo system on the wall opposite the couch.

I followed the sound of clattering dishes into the kitchen, which was only slightly bigger than mine. The walls were a pale, faded yellow and the cabinets white. A round wooden table with two chairs were cramped into a corner. Then there was Owen, in a black t-shirt and a pair of red basketball shorts, vigorously stirring something in a big plastic bowl. The sight immediately brought a tiny smirk to my lips.

"You know, I was expecting pop tarts or cereal. I didn't peg you as a cooking guy." I said, sidling into the kitchen and leaning up against the counter.

He pretended to look offended. "I'll have you know that these pancakes are about to change your entire life."

"That's for me to decide." I argued jokingly, crossing my arms over my chest.

He arched an eyebrow. "I accept that challenge." He moved to stand in front of the stove to my right, an iron cast skilled resting on top of one of the burners. He carefully dripped a heap of batter onto the pan.

"Can you cook anything else?" I asked curiously.

"Hell yeah. Lasagna, pork tenderloin, steak, stir fry, enchiladas…my skills know no limit." He said with a grin. "My mom taught me."

"My mom taught me how to make macaroni and cheese and that's about it. It's basically how I was surviving before I got here." I shrugged. "That and anything that can be microwaved."

"You know how sad that is, right?" Owen glanced at me after flipped a pancake that was a perfect golden brown color I could never hope to achieve.

"Not all of us have time to be the male equivalent of Martha Stewart." I cracked, wondering where this sudden streak of bold flirtatiousness had come from.

Owen shook his head, but I could see the tiny smile drawing one side of his mouth upwards. He slid the pancake onto a plate and pushed it towards me. "Here, eat this and don't talk anymore."

I opened my mouth to argue but he gave me a pointed look and handed me a bottle of syrup. I shot back a halfhearted glare before turning to the perfect pancake the plate in front of me. I doused it in the sticky, sweet syrup, aware of Owen's eyes expectantly watching me the whole time and waiting for my reaction. After carefully cutting off a tiny piece, I popped it into my mouth. I immediately let out a grown of satisfaction I didn't think food was capable of eliciting from me. It seemed ridiculous but never before in my life had I tasted a pancake that was that fluffy and utter perfection.

"Holy shit, Owen. This is amazing." I said before popping another piece into my mouth.

"You know," He began casually, pouring more batter on the skillet. "This is not what I pictured us doing when I imagined you saying that."

I almost choked on the piece of pancake I had just swallowed, looking at him with wide eyes. He was already laughing, a gleeful smile on his face. "You are seriously the worst!"

"Are you sure?" He asked, tilting his head to one side, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Because that's not what you said when-"

I punched him in the shoulder, cutting him off. He didn't even budge, though. I was like a flimsy piece of paper trying to movie a mountain. He gave me an amused smile as I held up my hand, signaling him to keep quiet. "I didn't even try that time, only because it's not safe to rough house around an open flame." I motioned to the lit burner.

"Oh, I see. Because otherwise that would've actually hurt?" He asked sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes and went back to my pancake. "Yes, actually."

"I doubt you've even punched anyone before."

I pointed my fork at him. "And I doubt that you even know what you're talking about."

His blue eyes were alight with laughter, and the way he was suddenly looking at me made me feel like electricity was surging through my veins.

 _How did he do that? All he was doing was looking at me, for christ's sake._

"Alright then." He finally said, flipping another pancake. "Since you're such a big, bad brave girl why don't you come officially meet my raptors this week?"

I froze with a forkful of pancake halfway to my mouth, giving him an incredulous expression that I hoped conveyed how crazy I thought he was. "Uh, I'd rather not die a horrific death in the near future."

"I'm not gonna throw you in the cage with them, they'll be restrained. We have to run some tests on them this week, so they'll be muzzled and everything." He assured me before giving me a tiny smirk. "So no risk of a horrific death."

"Ehhhh…"

"Come on. Be the badass you claim to be, and that I know you are, and come meet my raptors. I promise I'll protect you." He nudged me playfully, wiggling his eyebrows in a way that I was sure was supposed to come off as suggestive but just made him look like an idiot.

"As long as you promise to never make that face at me again, I'll consider it." I finally decided.

"You're lucky I happen to like girls that are all sarcastic and smart-assy." Owen said pointedly, before gesturing for me to hand him my plate so he could place another pancake on it. I watched as he easily flipped it onto the plate tried not to over think the words that had just left his mouth. His perfect mouth.

 _Why was I always thinking about his mouth?_

"Smart-assy isn't a real word." I corrected him.

"I rest my case." Owen said with another flirtatious look and I found myself unable to fight the smile pulling at my lips.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

_**A/N:**_

 **People, things are getting serious. I'M SO EXCITED UGH! So...here's the deal. I will post the next chapter TODAY depending on the response this one gets. Deal? Deal.**

 **BTW you guys are awesome, I can't believe the response this story has. Mucho love to all of you! 3**

* * *

 **CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

" _MY HEART TREMBLED AND I WILLED MYSELF TO MAKE IT STOP"_

 _SONG TO LISTEN TO:_ IN LOVE WITH A BOY _BY_ _KAYA STEWART_

In the entire time that I'd been at Jurassic World, I'd only been to the raptor containment unit once. It had been during my very first week on the island and even then, seeing them had scared the shit out of me. So the idea of getting up close and personal with the carnivores wasn't something I was really looking forward to. It was a complicated combination of fear and thrill.

This time, Denny let me borrow one of the staff jeeps to get there. Being behind the wheel of an actual car for the first time since I'd gotten to the island was a weird feeling. I'd had a bizarre fear at first that I wouldn't remember how to do it. Somehow, though, I'd managed to make it to the containment unit without any incidents. Even the bag of styrofoam to-go boxes perched onto the passenger seat made it there okay. Not only had I been talked into meeting Owen's 'girls' (which I'd told him calling them that would never stop being weird), but he'd also somehow convinced me to bring him lunch.

"You're a god-send." Barry said gratefully, taking the bag from me. "I haven't eaten since six o'clock this morning."

"I know." I grinned. I clicked the lock button on the keychain before sliding the keys into my bag. "Where is he?"

Before Barry could answer, Owen poked his head from around the cage door. "Hey, come here!" He called, waving me over.

I shook my head. "No, I'm fine. I'll just stand here."

One side of Owen's mouth quirked upwards into an amused smile. "They can't hurt you right now. Just come here."

Barry chuckled. "You know how relentless he can be. He's right, though. This is the only time it's even remotely safe to be around them." He gave me an encouraging smile before prodding me in the direction of the massive concrete and steel walled cage.

I hesitated before taking a tentative step towards the open door. All four raptors were in their own individual stalls, just their heads showing. A huge metal contraption, that looked like a hardcore, heavy-duty muzzle, kept their jaws snapped shut. I almost felt sorry for them, but quickly reminded myself of what they were capable of without the confinements that were obviously there for a reason.

"It's the only way we can safely get blood samples from them. Better than tranquilizing them all just so we can run tests." Owen explained, glancing over his shoulder towards me.

I finally made it inside the square caged room, an automatic barred door the only thing separating us from the actual containment unit. On the wall opposite me was a control panel that most like controlled everything from the doors to the muzzles on the raptor's jaws. Owen was standing next to one of the raptors, running his hands along the animal's long snout. It let out a huff of air, and it almost seemed like his touch was soothing to it. My heart started to speed up, in a way much different than it usually did when Owen was around. My palms felt sweaty at my sides as my eyes swept over each of the four raptors.

"You can touch her…she can't hurt you, remember?" Owen reminded me, giving me a reassuring smile before gesturing for me to come closer. Still feeling incredibly unsure about the situation, but not wanting seem like a total wuss, I sucked in a deep breath and shrugged off my purse before taking slow, deliberate steps in Owen's direction. The raptor's yellow eyes followed me, eyeing me in a way that almost seemed suspicious. "Okay, good. See not so scary, right?" Owen teased when I finally within arms length of the huge reptile.

I glared at him halfheartedly. "Which one is this?" I asked, turning my eyes back towards the raptor. It's skin was a deep turquoise color, with flecks of green in the scales around her eyes and jaw.

"This is Delta." He said, giving the animal an affectionate pat. "She'll let you touch her. Just move slowly. Be gentle. She doesn't know you yet. It's like petting any animal for the first time."

"She isn't exactly _any_ animal, Owen." I mumbled quietly, fingers flexing at my side as I gathered my courage.

Owen grinned. "Yeah, but I thought if I said that it'd make you feel better."

I snorted with nervous laughter before deciding to be brave and reaching up, sliding my fingers along Delta's snout and the top of her head. Her scales weren't as dry as I thought they'd feel, and were instead smooth beneath my fingertips. It was exactly the way any other lizard's skin would feel, but on a much grander scale. Delta let out a low snarl and I jerked my hand away quickly, my gaze snapping towards Owen.

"Shh…it's okay. She's a friend." He was assuring the animal. Like it could understand his words. For all I knew maybe it could. Owen glanced from Delta towards me and motioned with a nod of his for me to give it another shot. I reached out again, this time stroking her underneath her jaw like I'd seen Owen doing before. "Good…she's just gotta get used to you."

"Hey Owen, you got a second?" Barry's voice came from behind me.

"You gonna be okay?" Owen asked, and I could feel his eyes assessing me, trying to sense whether or not I was comfortable alone for a minute. I nodded, keeping my eyes on Delta. Her eyelids flicked shut as she blinked, her vertical pupil still staring at me, studying me. Owen gently squeezed my shoulder before stepping away, disappearing out of my view.

Without his reassuring presence, I felt much more unease but tried to fight it by taking in slow, even breaths and keeping my movements steady. The raptor next to Delta let out a snort, catching my attention. I recognized this one by the significant streak of color that started at the base of her head and swept down the rest of it's body, which was currently hidden from view. I debated whether or not it was a good idea for a second before stepping around Delta and moving towards the raptor I remembered was called Blue.

"Hey, girl." I breathed quietly. I reached out to stroke her snout, the same way I had with Delta. She was calm at first, almost unmoving. The one eyes that could see me never wavered. The intelligence I saw in it's gaze was unnerving. I could sense why Owen had such a high respect for these animals. You had to.

I slid my hand underneath Blue's jaw and several things suddenly happened all at once. Blue let out a loud, piercing shriek that made my blood run cold and my heart leap into my throat. She began thrashing her head, although the muzzle made it hard for her to move much at all. She bared her teeth, the sharp, razor like weapons stealing the breath from my lungs.

She let out another threatening snort and I was stumbling backwards. I turned, preparing to force my body to sprint for my life when Owen was suddenly there. I smashed right into his chest and his arms came around my waist trying to steady me, but he was staggering backwards thanks to my momentum. Before I could really comprehend what the hell was happening, we were both on the ground.

"Holy crap." Owen grunted, his voice somewhere near my ear. "That's one hell of a tackle. You okay?"

I was very aware of my face turning red as I realized I was sprawled on top of him, one of his hands on the small of my back. _Oh Jesus…_ I struggled to push myself upwards, while simultaneously trying to catch my breath and not seem embarrassingly flustered.

"She growled at me." I said, and realized the second it left my mouth how stupid it sounded.

I could feel Owen's chest vibrating underneath me as he laughed. "It was Blue, wasn't it? I should've warned you she can be a little sassy."

I racked my brain for something witty to say, something clever and funny, but I was too preoccupied by the way he felt underneath me. It was making it very, very hard to think straight about anything at all. I cleared my throat. "Sorry. I'm squishing you." I mumbled.

I realized both my hands were braced against his chest, which caused a whole new issue of wondering if there was a safer place for them to be at the moment. I averted my eyes, trying to avoid looking at him because I wasn't sure if I could handle whatever kind of expression he was wearing. I started to push myself up when his arm tightened around my waist. My pulse faltered.

"You're doing that blushing thing again." He murmured. "It's pretty damn cute, actually."

"Try embarrassing." I said weakly.

His fingers were suddenly brushing against my temple, pushing my bangs out of my eyes. Before I could stop myself, I lifted my gaze to look at him. His eyes, that impossibly blue color that reminded me of the bottom of the ocean, flickered to my mouth and my stomach lurched in that same nervous way it had when I'd been kissed for the very first time on my fourteenth birthday. I forgot about where we were or why we'd ended up there in the first place as his fingers cupped the back of my neck and drew me closer to him. I could feel his breath on my lips and I couldn't ever remember wanting to kiss someone so badly in my entire life. I let my eyes close.

"Owen!"

We both jolted at the sound of his name, my eyes flying open. The moment fled and I was once again aware of the fact that I was lying on top of him in the dirt with four huge raptors caged behind us. I scrambled off him, staggering to my feet. Owen pushed himself off the ground as soon as he was free from my weight, brushing his hands on the back of his khakis. Our eyes met for a split second and I swore I saw disappointment there.

Barry suddenly appeared in the doorway, out of breath. "Hoskins." He said, and Owen's expression hardened. The word meant nothing to me, but apparently it wasn't good.

"I'll be right there." He said and Barry nodded before taking a few steps back and rushing off. I was gathering my purse off the ground and adjusting the strap across my shoulder when Owen turned to face me. "I have to deal with this asshole." He sighed.

I nodded. "It's okay…I'll just…see you later. Yeah." I finished lamely, and wanted to kick myself for the inability to form full coherent sentences at the moment. I was too busy feeling immensely distracted, trying to figure out what the hell had just happened between Owen and I, if it had actually been happening at all, and what it had meant.

His eyes swept over me, looking like he had more to say before settling on staying silent. He finally settled on a single nod. "Okay, make it home safe."

I forced an unsteady smile in his direction before brushing past him and heading towards the car. I could feel his eyes on me. I wanted to look back, to catch his expression, but made myself stare straight ahead until I was sitting in the driver's seat. By that time, he was already gone, dealing with what or whoever Hoskins was. I leaned my forehead against the steering wheel, letting out a groan. I was an idiot. I'd wanted to kiss him. I almost had. And he'd been the one that had started it by pulling me towards him. My heart trembled and I willed myself to make it stop. How had I fought it for so long, I had no idea because now I suddenly felt impossibly weak against it.

I wasn't falling for Owen Grady. It was too late for that. I already had.


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**A/N:**

 **I've given in, I can't deny you guys this one right now. I love it too much!**

 **PS- i highly, highly suggest you listen to the song while reading this one.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

 _"I'D RATHER FEEL THIS, WHATEVER THIS WAS, RIGHT NOW THAN RUN FROM IT BECAUSE I WAS AFRAID IT WOULDN'T LAST"_

 _SONG TO LISTEN TO:_ A RUSH OF BLOOD _BY_ _COASTS_

I kept busy for the rest of the day, doing what I could to avoid thinking about Owen and what had almost happened between us. Instead, I ended up doing the opposite. I'd finally come to the conclusion that there no doubting he had been about to kiss me. It wasn't something I had imagined. For some reason, it was both thrilling and scary at the same time.

I felt my phone suddenly vibrating in my pocket. I tugged it out and felt the breath sucked from my lungs. It was him. He was calling me. I panicked and hit the ignore button. I had no idea what I was doing. I wanted Owen, yet at the same time, finally letting that secret come to the light terrified me. In my head there were two scenarios, the one where Owen and I ended up together, and the one where he pretended nothing had happened and we went about our lives.

"Are you sure everything's okay?"

I was jolted out my thoughts and sent plummeting back to reality by the sound of another voice. I blinked at Violet from across the table as she swiped another fry from my plate and popped it into her mouth. She gave me a questioning look, still waiting for an answer.

"Yeah, sorry. Just tired." I lied, giving her an apologetic smile. She looked like she wanted to contest that, but thought better of it when I pushed my plate towards her. "Finish these. I'm stuffed."

She popped another fry into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully. I propped my elbows up onto the table, resting my chin in my hands. Every time the cafeteria door would open from behind Violet, I would twitch, trying not to look obvious as my eyes searched for Owen's familiar build. "You know, I was going to let it go but your edginess is starting to make even me feel nervous." She said. "Something happened, didn't it? And I have a very good feeling that it has everything to do with Owen."

I groaned, running my hands over my face before peeking at her between my fingers. "It's a long story." I mumbled. She gave me a disbelieving look and I dropped my hands back into my lap.

"Well, it's fine if you wanna spare me the details but this is a very small place. Meaning you can't avoid whatever happened forever and at some point, because it's Owen, he's going to corner you about it." Violet shrugged.

"I mean I don't want to avoid him forever…" I trailed off, and I really didn't. Not at all. I just needed to get my head straight first.

"Listen, I don't know what's going on with you guys and it's none of my business." Violet said quietly, leaning across the table so none of the other employees in the cafeteria would feel tempted to eavesdrop. "Romantic, platonic, whatever. But I wasn't kidding you when I said I've never seen him so set on spending this much time with somebody. Regardless of in what kind of way it is, he cares about you. And you care about him too. So grow some balls and deal with whatever it is that happened."

I stared at her with wide eyes when she finished, watching as she casually squirted another heap of ketchup onto my fries. "Jesus, for somebody so small you can be pretty intimidating."

She smiled at me, pushing her dark her out of her eyes. "It's a gift."

"Yeah, well, it worked. I'll talk to him." I sighed in defeat. "Tomorrow. I have to close tonight."

She shrugged. "Just don't wait too long, Rylan. I know he can be cocky, but Owen's one of the best guys I know."

"I know." I agreed, thinking back to the first night I'd spent with him, sitting in the stadium underneath a view he'd never shared with anyone before. I pulled back my plate towards me and grabbed a handful of fries, forcing myself to eat even though my stomach was in knots, and tried not to worry about how I would be able to talk to Owen without not thinking about that tiny, inch of space that had been the only thing between our lips.

* * *

Work had been consistently busy the entire night, which I was thankful for when it finally created a distraction for my active thoughts. It wasn't until the rush had died down, and the last customers of the night had trickled out, that the gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach had returned. I was moving in slow motion, not wanting to go home just to lie in bed while my mind occupied me for hours and hours and it made it impossible for me to sleep.

I had just finished restocking the bar and wiping it down when Denny appeared from the back office, looking surprised to see me still working. "You the last one left?" He asked.

I nodded, giving him a sheepish smile. "Yeah, I told everyone I'd finish up so they could get home early."

"Well I hate to leave you alone here, but I'm dead on my feet. You okay to lock up without me?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I'll be fine, don't worry about me." I assured him.

"Don't work too hard." He joked, giving me a small smile. He gave me a friendly squeeze on the should as he walked past me and out the front door. When he was gone, I grabbed the remote off the bar and pointed it at the stereo, shutting it off and casting the restaurant into silence.

At my old job, I had always loved closing up on my own. The quiet and stillness after a long day was peaceful, the emptiness of the restaurant calming. It was the same here and I reveled in the feeling as I grabbed a rag from the soapy water bucket I'd brought out from the kitchen, moving into the dining room to wipe down the tables. I took my time, wiping underneath the condiment bottles and napkin holders, even wiping down the upholstered chairs and booths. I was lost in the mindlessness of the job, so much in fact, that I nearly had a heart attack when I glanced towards the door and saw Owen standing there.

I gasped, stumbling back into one of the tables and knocking over the pepper shaker. "Holy shit. You scared the crap out of me!" I breathed, placing a hand over my racing heart. I glanced down to see tiny grains of pepper had spilled everywhere. I went to work cleaning it up, trying to busy my hands and eyes. I still couldn't stop myself from looking up at him again, where he was leaning against the doorframe in his jeans and t-shirt, arms crossed over his chest. My eyes flickered back towards the tables as I wiped the soapy rag across the surface. "I was planning on calling you back later. I didn't mean to ignore you. I've just been working and-"

"Creating terrible lies in order to avoid me?" He interrupted and my eyes shot up to see an amused smile tugging at one corner of his mouth.

I felt my face flush as I turned my back on him and moved towards the next table. "No, but I'm sorry if it feels that way. I really was gonna call you later. I mean after my late dinner with Claire." The words fell from my mouth in a rush and I realized I was rambling and probably sounded ridiculous. "Did I tell you that I was having dinner with her earlier? I swore I did but maybe I didn't."

"Rylan, shut up."

I froze, whirling around to look at him. The rag was forgotten on the table for the moment. "What?"

He pushed himself off the door frame and crossed the room in sure, even strides looking every bit the self-assured man I knew him to be. Everything about the moment made me feel incredibly nervous. My heart pounded erratically against my ribcage as he stopped, barely leaving a foot of space between us.

"I need to kiss you. Right now." He said in a low voice. I stared at him, a wave of nerves, excitement, and uncertainty rushing through me. "So please, just shut up.'

I opened my mouth and quickly shut it again, floundering for words. _He needed to do what now?_ Before I had a real chance to process Owen's words, coherent thought was out the window as he took one last step forward and closed the space between us. The warmth of his mouth against mine sent a current running through me. There was no hesitation, no uncertainty like there often was with first kisses. Instead, his lips moved against mine in a tenacity and boldness that made my heart falter inside my chest.

I threw my arms around his neck and pulled him closer, his hands sliding over my shoulders and down my sides until they were gripping my hips tightly. My back hit the side of the booth as he pushed me backwards, pinning me against it with his body. He smelled like peppermint and something that reminded me of the way the earth smelled after it rained, and it was intoxicating and thrilling all at once. He deepened the kiss, one of his hands finding it's way into the back of my hair as his tongue slid over my bottom lip and into my mouth. I was only half aware of how heavy my breathing sounded, but couldn't seem to control it when all I could think about was the way my body felt against his, the way his hands seemed to spread electricity through me everywhere he touched, and that kissing him sparked a hunger in me that wanted more more more.

Time felt nonexistent, it could have been minutes or hours, but eventually it ended though I couldn't remember who had pulled away first. My arms were still locked around his neck as we both struggled to get our breathing back to a normal pace. More than that, it was still a struggle to think straight, too aware of the heat radiating off of him and his hands on my waist. When I opened my eyes, he was smiling at me in a way that made me start blushing all over again.

"Stop by my place when you leave Claire's…I wanna see you." He said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. He leaned in and my eyes fell shut as his lips brushed softly against mine. Then, the warmth of his body was gone. I opened my eyes again to see him heading towards the door of the restaurant, shooting me one last crooked grin before he was gone.

The second I was alone, I felt behind me for the booth's opening before dropping down into the seat. My pulse had yet to slow down, my heart pounding against my ribcage like waves against a shoreline. My legs felt like rubber, and my stomach was still fluttering like I was standing still at the top of roller coast before the unavoidable drop. It was overwhelming how aware I was of all these things so strongly, and all at once. Dazed, I lifted my hand and felt my lips. Sore, and like the rest of me, aching for more. Never in my life had a kiss left me feeling so…discombobulated. _Never before had I been kissed like that at all, actually._

An uncontrollable smile tugged at my lips until I was sitting there grinning like an idiot. I buried my face in my hands, feeling incredibly silly. If there had been any doubt in my mind before, it was gone now. There was no avoiding it, ignoring it, pretending it didn't exist. The anxiety and the nervousness of the future suddenly seemed unimportant and I remembered what I had said to Owen weeks ago…the future was happening either way. I'd rather feel this, whatever this was, right now than run from it because I was afraid it wouldn't last.

Owen had kissed me, and now he wanted to see me later.

I slumped back against the booth, hands falling into my lap as I shamelessly grinned to myself, wondering how it was possible for one person to have such a monumental, significant effect just by one, not so little kiss. Then I realized something.

I wondered if Owen had any idea he had just given me my first lightning strike moment.


	16. Chapter Fifteen

_**A/N:**_

 **Heads up, people. This one is definitely rated M for Mature... ;)**

* * *

 **CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

 _"JUST LIKE THAT, THIS KISS STARTED WHERE THE LAST ONE ENDED"_

 _SONG TO LISTEN TO:_ FADE INTO YOU _BY_ _THE NASHVILLE CAST_

Somehow, I managed to get my head together enough to get the restaurant closed and locked up. I still felt like I was in a daze, though, and didn't even realize until I was knocking on Claire's door that I had no idea how I'd even gotten there. I rapped on the door with my knuckles and it was almost immediately thrown open by someone who was very much not Claire. Instead, a little boy probably not much older than ten, stood in the doorway grinning at me. He had an untidy mop of brown hair that fell over his eyes and was wearing a green t-shirt with a picture of a t-rex on the front.

"Uh, is Claire here?" I asked uncertainly, giving him a smile.

"Aunt Claire! There's a person at the door for you!" He called loudly over his shoulder. Claire suddenly appeared behind him, looking frazzled, like she wasn't sure how this kid had suddenly appeared in her apartment either. He stepped out of the way, already having lost interest in me, and disappeared further into the apartment.

"Aunt Claire?" I asked with a smile. "You didn't tell me your nephews were coming into town."

She groaned, leaning heavily against the doorframe. "I'm the worst aunt in the entire world and forgot. I had to send my assistant to get them from the docks today. I feel awful."

I wasn't surprised she hadn't remembered. Claire barely had time to eat, sleep, and breathe with her schedule the way it was. I knew she had nephews, her only sister's kids, but never once had met them. I would never have told Claire but I was surprised her sister had sent them at all. Claire had zero experience with kids of any age. "I'm sure they're just happy to be here. Don't worry about it." I ducked around her into the apartment where two boys were seated at the tiny, square kitchen table. The nephew I hadn't met yet was much older than his brother, at least sixteen or seventeen with dark hair and a brooding expression. Well, at least one of them looked happy to be there.

"Guys, this is my friend Rylan." Claire said, sinking down into an empty chair. A half empty box of pizza sat on the table. "This is Gray, and Zach."

The little one beamed at me and I couldn't help but smile back. He was undeniably adorable. "You guys get to see the park yet?" I asked. I took the one last empty chair at the table. The pizza smelled delicious, but my stomach was still experiencing aftershocks thanks to my kiss with Owen.

"I guess." Zach shrugged, looking moodier and moodier by the minute.

"We only got to see some stuff but Aunt Claire said that tomorrow we can see everything!" Gray exclaimed excitedly.

"Well, make sure you go see my friend Violet at the mosasaurus 'll love it." I told him.

"Of course, which is why you two need to get to bed. Tomorrow is gonna be a long day and all that." Claire said, and the fact that she was trying to hard to sound parental almost made me laugh. Zach got up wordlessly from the table and headed towards the door, Gray on the other hand, bolted out of his seat and gave Claire a hug before following after his brother.

"Good night, Aunt Claire! See you tomorrow!" He called over his shoulder.

"You remember the way to your hotel room?" She called after them, but the door was already swinging shut. As soon as they were gone, Claire looked relieved as she sank down into her chair.

"The little one is a sweetheart. The other one looks like he'd rather be anywhere else right now." I said, leaning back in my chair.

"They're probably going to hate me before this week is through…I don't know how I'm gonna find time to spend with them." She sighed, shaking her head.

"You better make time then, or your sister is going to be pissed."

She glared at me. "Not helpful."

"I'm joking…kind of." I gave her a tiny smile. "It'll be fun. I'll help out with them if you need it." Not that I had any more experience with kids than Claire did, but I seemed to get along with them a lot better.

"Thanks, Ry. That means a lot." She said appreciatively. She gestured to the slices of pizza leftover. "Sorry, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind for dinner tonight but I didn't know what else to feed them. Have as much as you want."

I shook my head. "Not that hungry."

Claire looked surprised. "You? Not hungry? I'm shocked. How was work then?"

Just the mention of the word 'work' made my skin flush and my cheeks grow hot. I tried to fight it. Instead, I just became fidgety. I could feel Claire staring at me, assessing my incredibly weak attempt at acting normal. "Okay, what the hell is up with you?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

I sucked in a deep breath, giving up. I turned to face her in my chair, folding my legs up underneath me in an attempt to be more comfortable. "Okay, listen. I know you don't like Owen." Her eyebrows shot up at the mention of his name, but surprisingly, she didn't interrupt. "I do like him, though. A lot. Like more than I want to like anybody, but I can't just shut it off. And tonight he kissed me and now I can't stop thinking about it and please don't give me shit." I finished quickly, my words all tumbling together into one, long run-on sentence. I stared down at my lap, embarrassed by my sudden outpouring of emotions which both Claire and I knew was incredibly unlike me. For a long moment, the only sound was the television in the background.

"You really can be such an idiot sometimes." She finally said. My head shot up but I was confused to see that instead of glaring at me, she was smiling. "Yes, I don't care for Owen much. Clearly you do, though, and if he makes you as happy as you are right now than I guess I like him more than I thought too."

I laughed, a feeling of pure relief sinking over me. "For some reason, I was expecting you to at least try to physically force some sense into me before eventually accepting it."

She shrugged. "Thought about it, but I'm too tired today." She shot me a smile. "As long as you don't start gushing to me about the details, we're good. Looking at the sickeningly giddy expression on your face is enough."

I rolled my eyes. "Trust me, it's weird to me too."

"So now what? Are you guys like…boyfriend and girlfriend?" Claire joked, and started laughing which caused another episode of blushing on my part.

"Maybe I shouldn't have told you if you're just gonna torture me. But no, we're not. We kissed and he asked me to stop by after I leave here." I shot Claire a look, warning her against making anymore comments. She bit her lip to keep from laughing.

"Well, what are you waiting for then?"

I gave her a surprised look. "But dinner?"

She waved her hand dismissively. "I already messed that up by being a terrible aunt, remember? Anyways I really should get to work moving my schedule around so I can spend some time with them. You go. I'd be a bad friend too if I made you hang around here with me and do nothing."

I stood up from my chair and walked around to the other side of the table to hug her. One of her arms immediately circled me, squeezing me back. "Thanks, Claire."

"Just think, if I hadn't supported you dropping out of school and getting a job here, you wouldn't have met Owen. So in a way, this is all thanks to me." She smiled.

I laughed, heading towards the door. "Sure, I'll remember that." I gave her one last smile before opening the door and stepping out into the quiet hallway. The second I was alone, my nerves took over. I'd been alone with Owen plenty of time, but now that things were different, the idea of it was both thrilling and very, very scary. In a good way, if that was possible.

I took the elevator down to the bottom floor, crossing the quiet, empty lobby and leaving through the revolving glass door. It was only when I finally reached the empty monorail platform that I realized what an idiot I was. I grabbed my phone from my bag and checked the time before cursing under my breath. The last train had already run for the night. I turned and looked back at the hotel, chewing my lower lip during my internal debate. Claire would probably let me borrow her car if I asked. Or I could walk. It wasn't that far, but it would take a while. God, I really didn't want to walk though.

I sighed and turned back around to head retrace my footsteps to the hotel. The loud rumble of an engine stopped me in my tracks. I turned back towards the midway, looking for the source of the noise. I couldn't fight back a smile when Owen suddenly appeared from around a corner on his bike. He slowed to a stop in front of me, a smirk on his undeniably gorgeous face.

"Thought there might be a damsel in distress out here in need of a ride." He shrugged.

I pretended to look around me in confusion. "I haven't seen any, but since you drove all the way out here I guess you could give me a ride."

"Well get on then." He said, patting the seat behind him.

Still wearing a huge a huge smile, I climbed onto the bike and wrapped my arms around his middle. My stomach jumped when he suddenly grabbed my hand, squeezing it gently before letting go. We raced off down the midway, following the paved road through the park gate and out onto the dirt road. I pressed my cheek into the back of Owen's shirt, trying to figure out a way to contain my out of control nerves. Minutes later, when we finally pulled to a stop in front of his house, my pulse was beating faster, not slower.

The minute the engine shut off, I climbed off the bike and ran my fingers through my hair in an attempt to tame it. Owen caught me off guard by grabbed my hand and pulling me closer to him, placing a soft kiss on my lips. He tasted pepperminty.

"Come on." He said quietly, a smile flickering across his face as he tugged me up the porch step and through his front door.

I followed him into the kitchen, where I had watched him make pancakes just earlier that week. I leaned against one of the counters as Owen opened the fridge and pulled out two beers.

"So." He said, uncapping them both. "You're still alive, which means Claire didn't end up killing you." He sauntered towards me, handing me one of the cold bottles. "Unless you didn't tell her?"

"Unfortunately, as you've probably figured out by now, I have a hard time hiding emotions. I blush too easily." I smiled, before hopping up onto the counter. "So I think she's given us her blessing, or at least given me permission to pursue you."

"Pursue me?" Owen smirked, making my stomach drop. "You know, I kinda like how that sounds actually."

I laughed. "Yeah, don't get too excited. I'm not sure I even know how that works."

"If it helps, you've been doing a pretty damn good job so far. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you." Owen admitted, giving me one of his crooked grins as he leaned against the counter. He said it so casually, and I wondered if he had any idea saying things like that made me feel like I was on fire from the inside out.

"Really?" I asked. The surprise in my voice must have been noticeable for more than just me judging by the look on his face.

"What? Is that really that hard to believe?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow.

I shrugged, picking nervously at the label on my beer bottle. "No, I guess I just had no idea until earlier…I thought maybe it was more one-sided because you're you and I'm me."

I snuck a look at him only to see him looking at me like I was bat-shit crazy. "Yeah, exactly. You're you…I'm not sure how you see yourself but you're beautiful…and smart, and sarcastic, and not afraid to give me shit from time to time and all of that stuff drives me crazy in a way even I'm not sure I know anything about." He suddenly pulled the beer bottle from my hands, setting it down next to his. "Why do you think I needed to kiss you so bad today? It's been all I can think about which is incredibly annoying."

"I know the feeling." I said quietly, giving him a nervous smile as I thought about all the times in recent weeks that I'd been up at night trying to decipher exactly the way I felt about Owen.

My breath hitched in my throat as he pulled my knees a part, moving to stand in-between my legs. His hands slid along my thighs until they were resting on my hips. "Good, so now that we're on the same page am I right to assume that you really want me to kiss you again. Like right now?"

"Have I ever told you how full of yourself you are?" I teased, surprised at how casual my voice sounded when every nerve in my body was electrified at the thought of touching him again.

He shrugged. "It's come up before."

"Shut up." I laughed, reaching for the front of his shirt to tug him closer until his lips found mine. Just like that, this kiss started where the last one had ended.

I gripped the front of his shirt in both my hands as he mouth moved slowly and purposefully against mine. He slid me closer to the end of the counter until the space between our bodies had vanished. My heartbeat thudded loudly in my chest as his hands toyed with the hem of my shirt. A shiver rippled through me as they found their way underneath the thin fabric and trailed across the skin of my lower back. The urge I felt before was quickly returning, burning a hole through the pit of my stomach. I slid my hands down the front of his shirt and tugged gently on his belt before slipping my fingers underneath the waistband of his jeans.

Owen let out a groan, abruptly pulling away and resting his forehead against my own. Both of us were already panting, our breaths intermingling. One of his hands brushed against the fabric of my bra as he trailed his hands up and down my sides. "This doesn't have to go any further tonight, if you don't want it to…I don't want to you to get the wrong idea." He said, voice low and husky.

All that did, for some reason, was make me want him more. I felt an overwhelming rush of tenderness towards him. "Do you want to stop?" I asked carefully.

He gave me an incredulous look. "Hell no, not if you don't. It's taking all the self control I have right now not to rip all your clothes off." His words made my insides turn to putty.

I let out a soft laugh, a coy smile tugging at my lips. "Well I guess we better go to your bedroom then, Grady."

He smiled back at me, the devilish glint in his eyes sending my pulse skyrocketing. Without any warning, he suddenly wrapped his arms around me, picking me right up off the counter. I wrapped my legs around his waist, burying my face into the crook of his neck to hide my grin as he easily carried me through the living room and kicked open the door of what I assumed was his bedroom. My back bounced against the softness of the mattress as he dropped me on the bed, barely giving me any time to recover before he was crawling over me and covering my lips with his own.

Then, his mouth was on my chin, my jaw, my neck, and eventually I could feel the stubble of his beard as he trailed kisses over my shoulder and across my chest, down to my stomach and I tried to remember when I'd lost my shirt but couldn't. I tugged at his own shirt and Owen quickly got the idea, pulling it up and over his head. I sighed at the feeling of his skin against mine, every inch of his muscled torso pressed up against me and leaving no room for any space between. It was like a tornado of clothing, a race to see who could get the other undressed first until finally I was lifting my hips as he tugged my last piece of clothing over my hips and down my legs. I cupped my hand around the back of his neck, pulling him in for another kiss.

I could feel myself coming undone underneath him, his hands touching me everywhere, lower, deeper until I was gasping in anticipation. I ran my hands over his shoulders, digging my fingertips into the muscles of his back. Then, the warmth of him vanished for a moment as he leaned over the side of the bed, rummaging around in a side drawer until I heard the distinct crinkle of a wrapper. Seconds later, we both were gasping as he slid inside of me. His arms braced themselves on either side of me as he nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck, lips gliding across my collarbone before finding my mouth again and kissing me deeply.

We easily found a rhythm, moving against each other slowly until it became a desperate kind of urgency. My eyes fluttered shut as I heard my name leave his lips in a breathy whisper. It was a perfect, chaotic frenzy of tangled limbs, kisses, moans and gasps…building, building, and building until finally I broke apart and shuddered against him. His arms tightened around me, quickly following my lead. Neither of us moved right away when it was over, content to catch our breaths although I wasn't sure if my heart would ever slow down.

Owen eventually rolled off of me, placing a kiss on my temple before disappearing from the room. I stayed exactly where I was, exhausted. When he came back, I didn't even make an attempt to hide the fact that my eyes were roaming every inch of his body. He He laid back down and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him. I automatically curled into him, resting my head in the crook of his neck as his fingers trailed lazily up and down my spine.

I could feel the warmth of his breath against my ear with every exhale. I ran my hand over his chest and stomach, tracing the contours of his muscles. "That's it. I'm done for." I heard him say quietly.

I raised my eyebrows, lifting myself up onto my elbow to look at him. "Should I even ask what the hell you mean by that?"

"I couldn't stop thinking about you before. You really think I'm going to be able to now?"

A surprised laugh escaped me. "I can't tell if you're feeding me lines or if you're being serious right now." The erratic beating of my heart gave away which one I wished it was.

"What's wrong with it being a little bit of both?" He joked, giving me a mischievous smirk. I pretended to glare at him and he laughed.

He suddenly shifted until he was on his side, and gave me a long kiss that left me out of breath. He pulled away for a moment, hands on either side of my face as he gazed fixedly at me. My breath hitched and he was suddenly kissing me again, with a quiet urgency. He rolled on top of me, pressing my back against the mattress, making me want him all over again.


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

 _"I SUDDENLY REMEMBERED A SLEEPY GOODBYE A FEW HOURS EARLIER, HIS LIPS BRUSHING MY FOREHEAD BEFORE PRESSING TIGHTLY AGAINST MY LIPS"_

 _SONG TO LISTEN TO:_ FRESH FEELING _BY EELS_

When I woke up the next morning, I was hit with that fleeting confusion that sometimes happens when you fall asleep in a new place. My eyes fluttered open and Owen's bedroom came into view. The place next to me where Owen had been the night before was empty, just a blank space of navy blue sheets. I suddenly remembered a sleep goodbye a few hours earlier, his lips brushing my forehead before pressing lightly against my lips, telling me to stay as long as I needed. I rolled onto stomach and buried my face into the pillow to hide the embarrassingly giddy grin on my face, even though I was alone. The pillow smelled like him. My heart fluttered in my chest as I replayed the events from the night before in my head…It felt surreal, like an incredibly vivid, sexy dream except it was real and the fact that I was still lying in his bed grinning like an idiot was extremely unlike me.

I rolled over, sitting up and wrapping the blanket tighter around me. The house was silent, the alarm clock on the nightstand reading only nine o'clock. Most of my clothes had made it into a messy pile in the middle of the room, although I had to hunt around for my bra before finally finding it hidden underneath the covers at the foot of the bed. I gathered them into my arms before heading into the bathroom, hoping Owen wouldn't mind me using his shower. His toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste sat on the counter, like he had just left them there moments before, a wet wash cloth hanging over the faucet. I turned on the shower, letting it warm up before stepping under the stream of hot water. Unlike my own shower, which was stockpiled with about five hundred different types of soaps, body washes, shampoos, and conditioners, Owen had one bottle of shampoo and one bottle of body wash. As soon as I opened the body wash, I was immediately hit with the familiar scent I associated with him…something woodsy with a hint of peppermint.

I made the shower a quick one, so I could stop at home and get some clean clothes before work. Once I was dried off and dressed in my clothes from the day before, which still reeked of french fry oil and tequila from work, I meandered into the kitchen. My purse and cell phone sat on the counter where I had left them the night before. I felt my cheeks go hot, finding it completely unavoidable to be standing there and not think about the way he had been kissing me in that same spot the night before. I reached for my phone to check my messages, and wasn't surprised to see when from Claire.

 **C:** ' _How was your night? No details needed.'_

I smirked, rolling my eyes a little before shoving my phone back into the side pocket of my purse. I grabbed it off the counter and went on a search for my shoes, before finding them in the bedroom near the door. I slipped them on and was on my way out, when the sight of a worn, brown leather wallet on the nightstand caught my eye. I hovered in the doorway, debating whether or not to leave it. I had no idea whether or not Owen intentionally left his wallet at home, or if it had been accidentally. Mostly I was trying not to admit I was just looking for a reason to see him sooner rather than later. I finally let out a sigh of defeat, crossing the room and throwing the wallet into my bag. If he'd ended up forgetting it on purpose, I'd feel bad later knowing I'd just left it.

Outside, the air was already thick with humidity which did nothing for my still damp hair. Before it had a chance to curl into wild waves, I pulled it back into a ponytail, using the elastic on my wrist. I walked down the dirt road, once I was home quickly changing into a clean pair of denim shorts and a dark blue Maragritaville t-shirt. Even better, I did a really good job of not thinking about Owen once until I was on the monorail. His wallet was still in my purse, a small voice in the back of my head question whether or not it was weird to show up while he was working to give it to him. Mostly wondering if it would make me seem overeager. I quickly dismissed the thought, though. I had never been one of those girls, who overanalyzed every little detail when it came to a guy. At least not until Owen came into the picture. I didn't _want_ to be one of those girls, therefore I would drop off his wallet before work. No big deal.

I took the monorail to the midway and flashed my badge to the guy on duty at the staff garage, before taking one of the four wheelers. I took the familiar steep and winding roads to the raptor containment unit, pulling up and parking alongside a Jurassic World park jeep. I climbed off, holding my purse nervously in both hands as my eyes combed the area for Owen. I spotted him almost right away, recognizing his familiar build even with his back to me. I suddenly felt nervous all over again as I looked at him. I wasn't sure what there was even to be nervous about, we'd already slept together. For christ's sake the man had seen me naked. _And I'd seen him naked too_ …The thought popped up into my head, completely unwanted at the moment but totally unavoidable and making me feel like a pervert as I stared at him.

He was in the middle of what looked like a heated conversation with a middle-aged, heavy set man with a graying beard. I didn't like the condescending expression on his face, the way he put his hands on his hips and tried to draw his height over Owen in an attempt to appear intimidating. Owen, on the other hand, looked unfazed. He was shaking his head as he tried stepped around the man and end the conversation.

He must have felt my eyes on him because he suddenly turned around. The huge smile that lit up his face when he saw me standing there made my stomach jolt. I felt myself smiling shyly back as I headed towards him, digging the wallet out of my bag. I held it out to him. "You forgot this at your place." I said. Behind Owen, I saw Barry's eyebrows raise before a knowing smile tugged at his lips. I tried to ignore him, and thankfully, he turned and walked away. No doubt to give us some privacy.

"Oh shit, I did!" Owen said in surprise, taking it from me and sliding it into his back pocket. "Thanks, you didn't have to bring it all the way here."

I shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant even though I knew it'd been the perfect excuse to see him. "It's okay, I figured you would need it. Everything okay with that guy? He looks like an asshat." I nodded towards the man behind him, he had finally stopped staring at us and walked away.

Owen rolled his eyes. "He is. Don't worry about it, though. Just trying to feed me some Ingen bullshit."

I nodded. Owen's expression suddenly turned into an amused one and I realized it was probably because of the way I was nervously twisting the strap of my purse in my hands. "Well, I'll let you get back to work." I said uncertainly. What was the protocol in this situation? We had slept together, yes. So was I supposed to hug him goodbye, or try to kiss him? Or maybe not do anything. I was feeling more and more like an idiot each second and was glad Owen couldn't hear my inner dialogue.

"Whoa, whoa. Hold on a second." Owen said quickly, reaching out to grab one of my hands. He tugged me close to him, his arms easily sliding around my waist. "Am I gonna see you later?"

I couldn't fight the smile that immediately broke out across my face. "I'd like that."

"Good, me too." He smiled. "Also, did you really think you were just gonna walk away without letting me do this?" Before I could ask, he was suddenly leaning down and pressing his lips against mine. I immediately warmed to the feeling, sinking into him. He gripped me tighter as I rested my hands against his chest, deepening the kiss.

After a long moment, I reluctantly pulled away. "As much as I would like to keep doing that, there are other people around." I teased him. "To be continued?"

Owen chuckled, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "I'm holding you to it." He pulled me closer to his chest, but suddenly paused, his cheek brushing the top of my head. "Did you use my shampoo?"

"Um…is that okay?" I pulled back to look up at him uncertainly.

"Yeah. Just disappointed I wasn't there." He grinned at me deviously and my stomach dropped. He leaned down to kiss me again when a frantic yell suddenly shattered the moment.

Owen whirled around, sprinting towards the cage. I followed after him, and my heart jolted into my throat when we finally reached the iron bars. In the center of the cage, was a person, lying on the ground. I watched as he sat up, looking disoriented before the expression was replaced with one of utter terror as he realized where he was. A bone chilling animalistic shriek cut through the air as all four of the raptors descended on him.

"What the hell happened?" Owen asked, skidding to a stop in front of Barry.

"Fell from the catwalk!" Barry explained, eyes wide. "We have to get him out of there quickly!"

I watched as Owen looked from him back to the cage. The shift in his expression made me feel sick. "Owen…" I said, a warning in my tone.

"I'll be right back." He assured me. Then, before either Barry or I could stop him, he slammed his palm down on the button that opened the cage door and ducked inside.

"No!" The word escaped my lips in a hoarse whisper as I automatically lurched after him. Barry caught me around the waist and dragged me back.

"He'll be fine!" He told me, gripping my shoulders with both hands but I saw the fear in his eyes just as strongly as I felt it. I pivoted back around and pressed myself up against the cage bars, gripping them tightly in each of my hands. I watched in horror as Owen halted to a stop in front of the raptors. All four pairs of yellow eyes turned to face him.

"Hold your fire! These animals will never trust me again if you hit them!" He called out to the half a dozen men on the catwalk above, weapons all trained on the raptors.

He was crouched low to the ground, both his arms outstretched in a warning to the huge carnivores. "Get out of here." He said quickly and the boy behind him scrambled backwards onto all fours, crawling in through the cage door where Barry and I were still watching Owen with horrified expressions. I could hear the kid panting, his fear so tangible I could almost taste it.

One of the raptors suddenly let out a low, guttural sounding growl and lurched towards Owen. A loud, terrified gasp left my mouth in a rush and I clapped a hand over my mouth, willing myself to keep silent. My heart felt like it was trying to make a break for it, the way it was beating against my chest like a jackhammer. My stomach churned, unable to take my eyes off of him.

Owen thrust out his palm in the growling raptor's direction. "I see you, Delta! Don't you move!" He said in a strong, unwavering voice. He kept his eyes trained on the raptors, his head following their every movements as they slowly advanced on him. He was taking, small cautious steps backwards. "Easy, girls, easy…Barry, close the door."

"What?!" I exclaimed, looking wildly towards Barry who looked just as shocked as I was.

"You can't be serious, Owen!" He called back, shaking his head.

"Just do it!" Owen answered, still using that same calm, commanding tone.

"You heard him! Shut the freaking door!" The kid shouted franticly and I shot him a glare that made him cringe. Accident or not, it was because of him that Owen's life was now in danger.

The creaking metal of the cage door lowering forced my eyes back towards the cage. I took a few, staggering steps backwards, both hands balled into tight fists at my sides. My fingernails were digging into my skin, but I hardly felt a thing. The door was almost completely shut now and just as I thought Owen was trapping himself inside, he ducked and rolled underneath the cage door just as it slammed shut. All four raptors lunged at the door, claws and teeth striking at the metal bars.

A relief more potent than anything I'd ever felt suddenly rushed through me. Before I could stop myself, I was stumbling towards him. I fell to my knees where he was still on the ground, trying to catch his breath, and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Jesus christ, Owen." I whispered weakly.

"You're one crazy son of a bitch." I heard Barry mutter, letting out a laugh of pure relief.

Owen's arms came up to wrap around me, pulling me to him. "It's okay, Ry. I'm fine…I'm fine." He was saying in a soft, reassuring voice that just barely masked the shakiness there. I pulled back to look at him, sweat beading at his temples and his blue eyes still wide.

"Don't do that again, or I swear I'll kill you myself." I breathed, gripping the front of his shirt tightly in both my hands.

Owen smiled and grasped one of mine in his before his eyebrows suddenly furrowed and he turned over my palm to look at it more closely. I hadn't noticed until then, but tiny, crescent moon-shaped indentations pierced my skin. One of them had even drawn just a hint of blood. I'd been digging my nails into my skin much harder than I'd thought.

"You really were scared for me, weren't you?" He asked. I gave him a look that I hoped conveyed how much of an idiot he was for asking. The smile was back on his face again as he tugged me closer. Our lips were centimeters away from brushing, when a voice suddenly broke us a part.

"Still think your animals wouldn't pass a field test? I just watched you take control of a completely unpredictable and potentially lethal situation without using any force."

I glanced over my shoulder to see the man he had been speaking to earlier watching us from behind the cage bars. I untangled myself from Owen, standing up and wiping my hands on the back of my jeans.

"There was just as much of a chance that they could have attacked me, though." Owen spat back at him. "These animals are unpredictable, Hoskins. They aren't going to be loyal to an army commander. They're gonna be loyal to whatever suits their needs."

I held out my hand and helped pull Owen to his feet. He didn't let go of my hand right away, fingers interlacing with mine. He paused to shoot a look over his shoulder. The kid who had fallen into the paddock was still on the ground in shock. "Didn't you ever wonder why there was a job opening here? Don't ever turn your back to the cage."

The kids eyes widened and I couldn't fight back the tiny, amused smile that pulled at one corner of my lips.

"Exactly. They're unpredictable." Hoskins continued. "The enemy isn't gonna know what hit them."

Owen was shaking his head, leading me out of the cage. I glanced up at him curiously. "Enemy?"

"Hoskins here thinks it's a great idea to use the raptors as weapons on a battlefield." Owen explained bitterly.

I felt my eyes go wide. "That's insane. How the hell are they supposed to know the different between the enemy and an ally? Aren't they just gonna attack whatever they want?"

Hoskins scowled at me while Owen smirked at me approvingly. "Exactly. See, she gets it?"

"What the hell would a little girl like you know anyways? A bartender?" Hoskins sneered, eyeing my Margaritaville t-shirt with disdain. I stared at him, shocked at his blatant rudeness, although maybe I shouldn't have been.

Owen was suddenly putting himself between me and Hoskins, tugging me behind his broad shoulders. "You don't talk to her that way. In fact, you don't talk to her at all. Now get the hell out of here."

Hoskin's face reddened in anger but he held his hands up in mock surrender. I could tell by the way his eyes lingered on the cage behind Owen, though, that he was giving up so easily. "Fine, fine. Have it your way. But this is happening with or without you." He took a few steps back before abruptly turning and walking away.

Owen glared after him and I squeezed his hand to get his attention before tugging him to face me. "Hey, forget about that asshole."

He shook off his irritation, eyes falling on me. "I know, I just hate that guy. He comes all the way out there, yet doesn't learn a damn thing about these animals except what he wants to." He ran his free hand through his hair, frustrated. "Then thinks he can talk down to you like he's better than you and he's not. Not even close."

A smile twitched at my lips, warmth spreading throughout me at his words. "Don't worry about me. I'm tough, I can take it."

He finally cracked, grinning down at me. "That's why I like you so much." He pulled on my hand until the distance between us was gone. Hoskins and his crazy ideas, Owen inside that cage, completely vanished from my mind the second his lips touched mine.


	18. Chapter Seventeen

_**A/N:**_

 **I am so completely overwhelmed by the response Owen and Rylan have received. This has barely been up a month and we've hit over 300 followers and almost 200 reviews. That's insane to me! I started this story on whim, and had absolutely no idea it would be so loved. So thank you for that! :D You all are amazing and thanks for always making me smile. We're delving into the movie now so here we go!**

 **BIG HUGS TO ALL OF YOU,**

 **Nikki**

* * *

 **CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

"HE WAS SWEATY, HIS SKIN AND CLOTHES COVERED IN A THIN LAYER OF DIRT. AND HE REEKED OF SOMETHING THAT STRONGLY SMELLED OF GASOLINE.

 _SONG TO LISTEN TO:_ NEVER LET YOU GO _BY_ _ALEX CLARE_

I took the four-wheeler back to the employee garage, making it to work right on time despite the fact that I'd spent more than planned at the raptor's containment unit. The ease Owen had made me feel was quickly vanishing and I suddenly couldn't stop thinking about him standing in the middle of that paddock, surrounded by his four velociraptors. I couldn't get their yellow, slanted eyes out of my head, the cold calculated intelligence within them.

I tried to brush off the anxiety and ignore the sickly feeling in my stomach as I slid behind the bar and clocked in. Thankfully, the restaurant was busy. It was the midst of the lunch rush which helped to take my mind off of things. If I was constantly worrying about Owen and the dangerous possibilities of his job, I'd never get anything done for the rest of forever. I had to remind myself that he was perfectly capable and that he knew what he was doing.

The park seemed more crowded than ever. Outside of Margaritaville, it was a perfect day covered by a cloudless blue sky. Main Street was packed with people, crowds bumping should to shoulder down the midway. Claire was probably celebrating, with numbers these high. I hoped she was out having fun, enjoying the sunshine and the humidity with her two nephews.

I felt less anxious by mid afternoon as the day raced past, hours filled with drink order after drink order. That feeling was shattered, though, when Owen suddenly appeared outside. I stopped what I was doing, an empty margarita glass in my hand, as I watched him weave his way around the tables until he reached the bar. I knew something was wrong immediately by the look on his face. He was sweaty, his skin and clothes covered in a thin layer of dirt. And he reeked of something that strongly smelled of gasoline. Something that tasted a lot like fear gnawed it's way from the pit of my stomach and into my mouth.

"What's wrong?" I asked, the second he had reached the bar.

He shook his head. "We gotta go. Now."

I furrowed my eyebrows with him, looking around at the crowded restaurant. "Now? Owen, I'm in the middle of a shift! We're slammed!"

He rounded the side of the bar and pulled out my bag from the shelf underneath the bar, shoving it into my arms. "I'll explain later, but for right now, I'm not letting you out of my sight."

The half a dozen customers I had at the bar were watching us curiously. I grabbed Owen's arm and tugged him out of sight, into the busy kitchen. "Fine, the only reason I'm not going to argue is because you look seriously freaked out right now. I have to at least tell Denny I'm going."

"I'll tell him." Owen said quickly, turning abruptly and stalking his way through the kitchen to the small office at the back. He knocked once before pulling the door open. Denny glanced up from a stack of papers in front of him, eyebrows shooting up. He opened his mouth, no doubt to ask what the hell was happening, but Owen was shaking his head. "I'm taking Rylan, and I think it'd be a good idea for you to shut down the restaurant for the rest of the day."

I peeked over his shoulder to see Denny still staring at him, confused and wide-eyed. "Did something happen?" He asked carefully.

Owen glanced over his shoulder, but the cooks were too busy to even pay the slightest bit of attention to him. It wasn't the first time Owen had appeared in the kitchen, usually to talk Denny into selling him a bottle of liquor or a case of beer. He stepped further into the room, speaking in a quick, hushed tone. "There's a code 19 happening right now. Whatever you do, do not cause a panic. Just try and keep calm."

"Code 19? What the hell is a code 19?" I demanded. I had a pretty good idea that it was something bad, though. If Owen's weird behavior hadn't been a giveaway, the way the color drained from Denny's face at the phrase was plenty enough. Owen ignored me.

Denny nodded. "Thank you for telling me. " He said in a weak voice, paper work forgotten. He looked between the two of us. "Please be careful."

Owen nodded curtly, before nudging me from the office and back out into the hot kitchen. I stumbled in front of him, knowing better than to try and ask questions until we were out of the restaurant. I slung my purse strap across my chest, ignoring the questioning looks from customers and employees alike as Owen and I moved quickly out onto the crowded, busy midway. He immediately took the lead, grabbing my hand and leading me in the direction of the visitor's center.

"Owen, are you gonna at least tell me what a code 19 is?" I hissed.

He shot me a look. "Don't say that too loud."

I looked around me, but no one had even given me a second glance. "Why not? None of these people are gonna know what it means! Owen, I get that something is obviously very wrong and I'll do whatever you need me to do, but at least tell me what the hell is happening. I at least deserve to know that, right? Since you pretty much dragged me away from work and are using all this secret theme park lingo!"

For the first time since he had shown up in the restaurant, he slowed down and really seemed to look at me. "I'll explain everything, I promise. Just trust me right now. Please, Rylan."

My eyes scanned his face, reading him enough to know that what was happening was bad. Bad enough to even scare him. I nodded. "Okay. I trust you." I said quietly.

He gave a grateful look before leading me up the stairs and into the visitor's center. We were barely inside the glass doors when Claire came barreling towards us. "Rylan!" She exclaimed, looking relieved to see me. She completely caught me off guard then, by throwing her arms around me. "Thank god, you're okay. You're okay."

I gently pried her off of me. "Yeah, I'm fine…"

She bit her lower lip anxiously, before looking towards Owen. "My nephews are still out in the valley. Please, you have to help me find them."

"They aren't with you? They're alone? I thought you were spending the day with them!" I blurted out before I could stop myself.

She shot me a guilty look. "I know, I should've but I was busy! They were with Zara, my assistant, but she lost track of them…" She trailed off, looking shaken. "Just help me find them. Please."

"Do you know the last place they were?" Owen asked.

"The gyrosphere. There's still one that hasn't been accounted for yet, that must be them." Claire answered in a rushed voice. "We can take one of the park's jeeps out there. Come on."

"Wait, wait, wait!" I said loudly, stopping both of them in their tracks. "I'm not going anywhere until somebody tells me why you guys are freaking out. If there's something going on, I have a right to know so I can freak out too!"

Owen's eyes widened, clearly surprised by my outburst. Claire on the other hand let out an exasperated sigh. "Not here. In the car."

"Fine. Then you tell me everything." I said sternly.

She nodded in agreement. "Fine. Let's just go."

She turned and lead the way through the halls of the visitor's center, out an 'emergency exit only' door that led to a filled parking lot in the back. She pointed out the jeep parked closest and Owen slid into the driver's side and Claire took the front, leaving me to sit in the back. I positioned myself in the middle, so I was leaning forward between to two of them. Claire flipped down the driver seat's visor and a key fell into Owen's lap. He started the car and the tires squealed as we tore out of the parking lot.

"Someone explain." I said, breaking the tense silence. I tried to ignore how weird it was that this was the first time the three of us had ever been in a room together. The awkwardness was clearly there, at least felt by me.

"A code 19 means there's an asset out of containment." Owen said. "Claire's new, exciting genetically modified hybrid is on the loose. The thing nearly killed me." He said bitterly, shooting Claire a glare.

She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. "It's not my fault it escaped. I had no idea the type of dinosaur the people in the lap created…I didn't know it would be so…so.."

"Hungry for human flesh?" Owen offered.

"Okay, stop. Please." I said, gripping the seat tightly. I felt faint suddenly, wavering in my seat as we bumped down the main road. Surprisingly, they both shut up. I took a deep breath. "Let me get this straight. There's a dinosaur on the loose, a carnivore, and even better, a carnivore that's never even existed before? Not even 65 million years ago? Are you people insane here?"

I could feel Owen's eyes on my in the rearview mirror, but Claire was suddenly swiveling in her seat to look at me. "I had the best intentions, Rylan. There's no way anyone could have predicted this would happen."

"Um me? I could have told you it would. You made up a new species of dinosaur, raised it in captivity, didn't bother to learn anything about it…recipe for disaster right there." Owen chimed in.

Claire spun around, poised to fight back. I was raising my voice, yelling out before I could stop myself. "Stop arguing! I don't care! Just tell me someone is doing something about it! Like how the hell did it even get out with all these fancy, state of the art security bullshit?"

Claire sucked in a deep breath. "We have ACU on it. We're doing everything we can to stop it."

"What's left of ACU anyways." Owen muttered. I stared at the back of his head as Claire winced at his words. I decided I didn't want to know.

"What about an evacuation?" I asked quietly. "What about all of the people here?" The car became silent and I knew we were all thinking the same thing. There were hundreds of families here, along with hundreds of more employees. All of their lives were now in danger.

"I shut down everything north of the resort. Everyone should be moving towards the park's center. If we don't get this thing under control…" She trailed off before clearing her throat. "Then I'll start the evacuation."

For the first time in many years, I felt disappointed in her. She didn't need to say it, but the reason an evacuation wasn't happening right at that moment was for the sake of the park. Her job was taking precedence over people's lives. "Okay, fine." I finally said, sitting back in my seat.

Owen took an abrupt turn off the road and we bounced over the grassy plains towards the last place the runaway gyro sphere had been located. We hadn't gone very far, though, when Owen suddenly stopped the car.

"What is it?" Claire asked, peering out the windshield. I leaned forward again and my breath caught in my throat at the creature blocking our path.

"Apatosaurus." He answered, climbing out of the jeep with his gun slung over his shoulder.

I pushed open my own door and followed after him. My heart faltered. The huge animal, with it's long slender neck was lying on the ground just a few feet from the jeep. It huge gashes on it's hind leg and along it's torso. There was no mistaking the huge, deep claw marks of something much larger and vicious. I glanced over my shoulder at Claire, who was still sitting in the car looking shocked.

The apatosaurus suddenly let out a low bellow that clenched my heart. Owen was already kneeling by its head, whispering soothing words to it. Our eyes met for a split second. This animal was dying and there was nothing we could do. I sucked in a shaky breath, falling to my knees. I ran my hand along the curve of its long neck as another heartbreaking moan escaped it's mouth. It's side was heaving up and down as it struggled to keep breathing.

"Shh, I know. I know." Owen was whispering.

Its eyes found me then and I felt a rush of grief at the pain in its eyes. Her eyes, I remembered. All the animals on Jurassic World were female. I couldn't fight the tears that began to stir behind my eyes before they were rolling down my cheeks. It lifted it's head off the ground, letting out another cry. I wanted it to stop, I wanted to do something. She was suffering and there was nothing I could do. I stroked the side of her face, focusing on the soft sound of Owen's voice. I saw Claire next to me out of the corner of my eye, kneeling on the ground beside me.

The animal let out one last bellow before her head fell to the ground, eyes rolling back into her head then shutting forever. I fell back onto my bottom, shaking my head. "Poor thing." I heard myself whisper. I couldn't seem to stem the flow of tears. Owen stood and held out a hand to help pull me to my feet. Using his thumb, he wiped a fresh tear from my cheek before walking towards the edge of the grassy hill.

"Jesus." I heard him curse.

I moved to stand next to him and followed his gaze. My hand clapped over my mouth. "Oh my god." The words were muffled by my fingers. The field in front of us was littered with the bodies of dead apatosaurus. All of them had the same deep gashes, the blood still fresh. The ground underneath me suddenly felt unsteady. How could this have happened?

"It's killing for sport…it's not even eating them." Owen said in shock. I felt his eyes on me and then his arm was around my shoulders. "You okay?" He asked. His thumb brushed against my shirt sleeve as he rubbed my arm.

I shook my head. "No." I wiped my face with the back of my hand before turning and heading back to the car. I passed Claire, who looked just unstable as I felt. Her skin was paler than usual, her blue eyes glassy. "Let's go."

She nodded and followed me back to the car. This time I climbed into the passenger seat and she slid into the back. Owen was back in the driver's seat seconds later, turning over the engine. The silence in the car was heavy was we continued our path to the restricted area, which the boys had for some reason wandered into. After seeing what the Indominus was capable of, I was terrified for them. I let my head fall back against the seat and shut my eyes. For some reason, I had a feeling I hadn't even seen the worst of it yet. By the end of the day, anything could've happened.

* * *

"Stop the car!" I yelled, bracing my hands against the dashboard. Owen slammed on the brakes. "Look!" I pointed a shaky finger towards the windshield. Just through the other side of the trees, was a mangled looking gyrosphere. Claire was out of the car before I even finished unbuckling my seatbelt.

I tore after her, my heart racing. Dread filled my stomach as I skidded to a stop next to the broken down ride. Claire had her hands in her hair and was muttered under her breath. The glass was cracked, completely missing on one side. Jimmy Fallon's cheerful voice sputtered and skipped as the machine continued to short circuit.

"This thing is trashed." I shook my head, nudging a piece of glass aside with my foot. Something sticking out of the metal skeleton caught my eye. "Is that a tooth?"

Owen stepped forward, and used his knife to shimmy the tooth out. He held it in between his thumb and pointer finger, examining it. I swallowed hard. It was the length of my entire hand, from fingers to wrist.

"How big did you say this thing was?" I heard myself ask.

"Oh god! Oh no! No no no no!" Claire cried out, kneeling to the forest floor. I scrambled to her side to see she had gathered a broken cell phone in her hands.

I placed a hand on her arm. "I'm sure they're fine…don't panic yet." I said, in a voice that was much calmer than I'd expected it to sound.

"They are fine." Owen agreed. He stepped around us and pointed to the mud. "See? Two sets of tracks leading away."

I followed his gaze and let out a breath of relief when I saw the two distinct set of prints. "They're alive! Come on!"

We followed the tracks through the thick, towering trees. I had my eyes and ears peeled for Zach and Gray, but also for something else. I sure as hell didn't want that thing creeping up on us when we least expected it. I didn't want it creeping up on us at all. Owen was in front, leading the way through the mud towards the sound of rushing water. When we emerged from the trees, we were met with the spectacular sight of a towering waterfall, the water cascading down the steep cliff into a clear pool below.

"Holy shit! They jumped!" I exclaimed, peering over the side. The tracks stopped just at the edge. Next to their much tinier tracks, was the huge imprint of a clawed foot. The Indominus had followed them right to this point.

"They jumped. Oh my god, they really jumped." Claire was saying quietly, swaying on her feet. I grabbed her by her shoulders and turned her to face me.

"Get a grip, okay? If we're gonna find them you need to be brave. If they hadn't jumped, they would be dead."

"Brave kids." Owen agreed, peering out towards the woods on the other side of the waterfall. "Probably swam to the edge and disappeared through there."

"Gray! Zach!" Claire suddenly screamed, stumbling towards the waterfall. I grabbed her arm and yanked her back.

"Shhh!" Owen snapped.

Claire looked at him in shock. "I am not one of your damn animals!"

"Jesus christ! Just stop!" I stepped in between them as Owen took a threatening step towards her. "He's right, Claire. Unless you wanna get us all killed, you need to shut the hell up!"

She opened her mouth wordlessly before letting out a frustrated groan and peering around me towards Owen. "Can't you like…track their footprints? You know, pick up their scent!"

I made a face. "Who do you think he is? Pocahontas?"

"Exactly! I was with the Navy, not the Navaho!" Owen added, staring at her with the some disbelief I was feeling.

Her face fell, and I shook my head. I reached towards her hand, squeezing it. "We'll find them. Okay? They're tough kids. Look at what they're capable of!" I gestured towards the steep drop off the cliff.

"How?" She asked weakly. "They could be anywhere!"

"I'll follow in the direction they might have gone, see if I can find anything. You two, though, can head back to the control room and keep an eye on things from there." Owen answered.

Both Claire and I froze for a minute before starting in on him at the same time. I placed my hands on my hips. "You're insane if you think you're going out there alone!"

"They're my nephews! I can handle it!" Claire added.

"Who's gonna watch your back? I'm coming, whether you like it or not. Claire can go back." I told him.

"Excuse me?" Claire said, looking between the two of us. "What is this? You're picking him over me?"

"No!" I said quickly, fighting the urge to roll my eyes. "Claire, you're the operations manager of this entire park. They need you right now. Let us find your nephews for you…we'll bring them back, I promise you. Plus, you're not exactly dressed the right way for for this."

"And you are?" She asked, eyeing my jean shorts, Margaritaville t-shirt, and converse sneakers.

"Can you run from a dinosaur in those?" I hissed, pointing at her nude pumps.

She shifted uncomfortably. "I'm their aunt. It should be me looking for them." She finally said. "I should've been with them in the first place."

I gave Owen a pointed look from over my shoulder and he sighed before retreating a few steps away. I turned back towards my best friend, placing both my hands on her shoulders. "Listen to me. It doesn't matter now, okay? All that matters is we find them and bring them home. We both know you're a badass when it comes to fixing things. Go back to the control room and work on getting all these people to safety. Work on how to take this Indominus thing out. We'll find the boys, okay?"

She watched me uncertainly for a moment, nervously chewing on her bottom lip. Finally, though, she nodded. "Okay."

"Thank you." I said, relieved. "I have my phone, I'll call you if anything happens." She nodded again and I wrapped my arms around her. She hugged me back tightly and when she pulled away, I could tell she was trying to put herself back together. "Do me one more favor. Call Violet and tell her what's happening…she should know." I added, thinking about the one other friend I had here on this island completely unaware.

"Sure, I'll call her back at the control center. Just…be careful." She told me. She unwrapped her arms from around me and stalked off towards Owen, standing in front of me with her hands on her hips. "If anything happens to her on your watch, I'll kill you myself." She warned him.

I fought back a smile as Owen stared at her wordlessly. She stepped around him and headed back through the trees towards the parked jeep. Owen watched her go before turning back around to look at me. "You know I should make you go with her."

"And you know you're gonna have a hell of a time trying to make that happen. You're stuck with me out here, Grady." I informed him, shrugging my shoulders.

He finally cracked a smile, looking more like the Owen I knew and cared about. "Yes, ma'am." He joked. He gestured for me to start walking. "Let's go then. Just like taking a romantic stroll through the woods…"

I snorted. "65 million years ago maybe."

He chuckled quietly, falling into step behind me.


	19. Chapter Eighteen

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

 _"MY MOUTH FELT DRY WITH FEAR, MY PULSE RACING AS A NERVOUS SWEAT FORMED ALONG THE NAPE OF MY NECK. IT FELT LIKE THE LONGEST, MOST AGONIZING MINUTE AS WE SAT THERE, WAITING FOR IT TO GO AWAY."_

 _SONG TO LISTEN TO:_ OVERWHELMED _BY TIM MCMORRIS_

"Do you think it's still out here somewhere?" I asked quietly, stepping onto a fallen tree trunk before dropping off onto the other side. My shoes splashed into a puddle, spraying my bare legs with mud.

Owen hopped down beside me, gun still held in both his hands. "Couldn't have gone too far." He cast me a look as we fell into step together, footsteps treading softly over the forest floor. "I'm not gonna let anything happen to you. You know that, right?" He asked.

I gave him a small, grateful smile. "I know." I bumped his shoulder with mine. "My hero."

He gave me an amused look just as the sound of an engine roared in the distance. "The boys." I said quickly, and Owen nodded.

We took off at a sprint, heading in the direction of the sound. The closer we got, though, the more it seemed to fade away until it was quiet once more. We came through an opening in the trees, slowing to a stop. At first, I thought my eyes were playing a trick on me with the filtered sunlight casting shadows onto the rocky wall. I took a step closer, reaching behind me and feeling for Owen. My fingers brushed the front of his shirt and I grabbed it, tugging him forward.

"What the-"

"Shut up. Just look." I interrupted him. I stepped forward, his shoulder brushing mine. "This isn't what I think it is, is it?"

"Sure as hell looks like it." He answered.

In front of us was a crumbling set of stone steps, wild life growing haphazardly all around it. At the top of the steps, two huge wooden doors stood open, inviting us into the darkness inside. The logo, faded but still etched into the stone about the door, was the same as the one above the doors of the visitor's center at the resort.

"This is part of the old park, isn't it?" I asked breathlessly. "I can't believe anything is still standing."

"We knew it was out here somewhere, but no one ever bothered trying to find anything. Just built a fence up around it and labeled it all as a restricted area." Owen explained, motioning for me to follow him up the steps.

"I bet the boys came through here. They had to."

Owen crouched to the ground and ran his fingers through a patch of churned up dirt near the entrance. "Looks like the doors were just pushed opened. There's track marks from them here." He straightened and look at me from over his shoulder. "You're probably right."

Despite the seriousness and the danger of the situation, I felt a jolt of excitement as we walked through the tall double doors. During my research of the old park before coming to the island, which really hadn't been more than a few google searches, I'd seen plenty of photos of the old visitor's center. Inside, it was barely recognizable. Twenty-three years of natural wear and tear had taken its toll. The walls and floors were covered with dirt and wild plant life, the metal scaffolding that hung from the ceiling was draped with vines.

I dug my phone out of my pocket and put it into flashlight mode. I circled the room slowly, letting the beam of light wash over the walls. Something from the adjacent room caught my eye. Before I could think twice about it, I walking towards it. "This is unbelievable." I whispered.

"What is it?" I heard Owen ask.

"Gift shop." The walls were lined with shelves, filled with dusty merchandise. Toys, t-shirts, books, pajamas, keychains. I reached up and picked a faded t-rex stuffed animal from the closest one, brushing off the dust. "All this stuff just got left here."

"Weird." Owen agreed, brushing past me. He grabbed what looked like it once might have been a pint glass from the counter in the middle of the room, using his shirt to rub away the dirt and grime. He turned and held it out to me, showing me the old Jurassic Park logo peeling on the side. "They literally up and left this place and never came back for any of this crap."

"Not until now." I added. I suppressed a shiver, thinking back on the conversation I'd had with Violet on my first day on the island. I wondered how many people had lost their lives in this same building. I discarded the morbid thought with the stuff animal, grabbing Owen's wrist and leading him out of the shop. "Come on, it's starting to freak me out."

We poked around for a little bit longer before taking a corridor that led off of the lobby, quietly and carefully following it as it curved through the building. The hall finally ended in what looked like a maintenance room, attached to a garage. Yellow Jurassic Park rain jackets hung along pegs on the wall, like they were still waiting to be used. I followed Owen into the garage, where an old jeep was parked. The space next to it was empty and the ground marked with fresh tire tracks. A heap of fabric caught my eye and I leapt forward.

"This is Zach's!" I exclaimed, picking up the familiar sweatshirt. "I saw him wearing it at Claire's the other night!"

"They must've taken that other jeep...how the hell did they even get it started?" Owen asked, poking around the shelves. I shrugged, turning to assess the remaining vehicle. It had a flat tired in the back, the paint that covered the body rusted and flaking.

"Hell if I know, I can't even-"

A loud snarl suddenly came from outside of the garage door as the ground beneath my feet began to tremble. The sweatshirt fell from my hands, forgotten, as I scrambled around the front of the car. Owen pushed me behind him protectively. I crouched down, peering over the hood. A flash of white caught my eye. Then a giant, clawed foot appeared outside the garage.

I turned back around and slid to the ground. Owen pressed his back up against the bumper before exchanging anxious looks with me. I wondered if it was smart enough to know we were hiding, if it could smell us or sense the heat from our bodies. I gripped Owen's arm tightly in my hands. My mouth felt dry with fear, my pulse racing as a nervous sweat formed along the nape of my neck. It felt like the longest, most agonizing minute as we sat there, waiting for it to go away. Eventually, though, the sound of it's heavy breathing and low growls dimmed and vanished along with it's footsteps. Owen and I both exhaled sighs of relief, slumping back against the jeep.

I was trying to will my heartbeat to slow when the roof over our heads came crashing to the ground. A loud, terrified scream erupted from me, a sound I had never heard myself make before. The Indominus had somehow found a way to the roof and was gnawing it's way through. It's huge teeth, rows and rows of them, were stained with blood.

"Go!" Owen shouted, pushing me towards the door. I staggered to my feet, taking only a second to find my footing before sprinting back the way we had came. Earsplitting crashes and bangs came from the garage as we fled, and I only paused long enough to make sure Owen was still behind me.

We raced through the abandoned lobby and down the stone front steps. "Climb!" He suddenly called out. I felt his hand on the small of my back, pushing me in the direction of a tall, gnarled tree.

I didn't hesitate, pushing my feet off the ground and grabbing onto one of the lower branches. I pulled myself up off the ground, ignoring the burning in my limbs. I kept climbing, falling into a rhythm of reaching, grabbing, pulling until finally there was nowhere else to go. I settled myself onto one of the thicker branches, pressing my back against the trunk. I was out of breath. Inhaling deeply felt like trying to breathe through a straw. Owen pulled himself up onto the same branch I was on, scooting closer to me. He held a finger to his lips before pointing back towards the visitor's center. I craned my neck and through a gap in the thick foliage, I saw the Indominus. I wasn't an expert on dinosaurs by any means, but it didn't even look like a dinosaur. It was just as big as the t-rex, if not bigger, but it lacked the short arms. Instead, it had long front limbs with huge claws. Short, jagged spikes ran the long of it's back and along the underside of its legs and arms. The way its snout was shaped, with the yellowed, crooked teeth showing even when the jaws were shut, reminded me of a crocodile.

"What the hell is that thing?" I asked in a hushed voice.

"That," Owen began, turning to face me. "is what happens when you let people play God. You okay?"

I nodded, thinking his answer was on point. Whatever gene splicing they had done in the labs had created something no one had ever expected. "Genetically modified hybrid." I said suddenly. "A while ago Claire had mentioned something about this. Even then, before I'd even seen the thing, I told her I thought it was a bad idea."

"That's the thing with these damn Ingen people...they're all like Hoskins. None of them seem to understand that these things they call 'assets' are actually real, life animals." Owen spat, shaking his head in disgust.

"We have to follow it. We can't let it get closer to the resort." I said quickly, thinking about Violet, Claire, and all of the other thousand of people trapped there completely unaware of the killing machine that was currently out and about.

Owen looked at me in surprise. "Gray and Zach?"

"We know they took that jeep so they're probably halfway back to the park by now. I'll call Claire and tell her to have her security people keep a look out for them." I finally felt like my breathing was back to normal as I pushed myself off the tree trunk. I glanced towards Owen to see him watching me with an amused glint in his eyes. "What?" I asked.

"Nothing...just thinking about how you might be the bravest bartender I've ever met."

I rolled my eyes. "And despite the fact that we're in a life-threatening situation here, you still manage to be an ass."

He laughed, leaning closer and swiftly kissing me on the lips. The unexpectedness of it left my dazed for a moment. He started carefully climbing down. "Come on, before it gets too far!"

I glanced towards the forest floor and instantly regretted it. I swallowed back my fear. I'd forgotten my thing with heights until I was already in the tree. Fear of being eaten alive clearly trumped fear of heights. I sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly before beginning my descent back to the forest floor.

Owen was already at the bottom, nudging one of the Indominus' huge footprints with the toe of his boot. He glanced at me. "This way."

He took off at a run and I followed close behind, my heart racing from both the adrenaline and the incessant running I felt like I'd been doing all day. I pulled my phone from my back pocket, swiping through my contacts until I found Claire's name. It only rang once before she picked up.

"Are you guys alright still?" She asked urgently, bypassing a 'hello' altogether.

"We're good. We think that Zach and Gray have a car and are probably headed back to the resort right now." I said quickly.

"Thank god." Claire breathed. "I'll keep an eye on the monitors for them. What about the Indominus?"

"We're following it."

"What? What the hell do you mean you're following it?" She demanded. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?"

"It'll be more dangerous if it gets to the park, Claire." I reminded her.

"Hold up!" Owen skidded to a stop. "There!"

We had emerged from the trees on the edge of a ridge that overlooked a deep valley filled with the wild greenery of trees and plants. In the center, was a huge dome with a glass window in the shape of a bubble. I knew without even having to ask what it was...a birdcage for prehistoric birds. Rushing through the forest below was the Indominus, it's a skin a white streak among the green.

"Claire, you gotta send somebody out here! She's by this giant glass birdcage looking thingy!" I said frantically.

"You mean the aviary?" Claire corrected me, momentarily breaking my panic long enough to cause me to roll me eyes.

"Sure whatever the hell you wanna call it, just get somebody out here! Preferably with guns!"

"Big guns." Owen nodded, pacing the ridge in front of me in agitation.

"Yes, the bigger the guns the better." I agreed, relaying this into the phone.

"ACU is already on their way, they're airborne." Claire assured me.

As if right on cue, the low hum of a helicopter thrummed through the air. I craned my neck, scanning the sky. Finally, I spotted it as it emerged from over top of the trees behind us. It dropped lower to the valley in an attempt to get right behind the I-Rex. Gunfire cut through the air, dirt and dust flying up from the ground with each bullet missed. The Indominus suddenly let out a loud, very pissed off roar.

"Did they hit it?" I asked anxiously, glancing towards Owen and he just shook his head, hands on his hips. I'd forgotten I'd still had the cellphone pressed to my ear, the tiny piece of plastic clenched in my fingers in a death grip. "Are you still there?" I asked.

"I'm here." Claire answered breathlessly and I tried to picture her, in her crisp white outfit as she paced the control room, eyes glued to the wall of screens.

The chopper chased after the Indominus, relentlessly firing at it with everything they had. Too late, I realized what was about to happen. "Holy shit..." The very words I'd been thinking, only coming from Owen's mouth.

The I-Rex crashed through the wall of the aviary, a cascade of broken glass shattering around it. "This is bad." I said quietly.

Owen was suddenly standing next to me, hand pressed on the small of my back as we both stared, completely helpless to the situation, only able to watch wide eyed as dozens of winged dinosaurs flew from the newly formed hole into the cage and into the expanse of blue sky above them.

"What the hell are those things?" I heard myself ask, barely registering Claire's voice yelling into my ear as the phone slid from my hand and fell to the ground next to my feet

"Pteranodons and dimorphodons." Owen answered gravely. "Things that aren't gonna have any problems about taking that chopper down."

I leaned into him, watching in horror as the chopper tried to divert the sudden flock. The giant mechanical flying machine was unfamiliar to them, no doubt instantly taken as a threat. The next few seconds seemed to happen in slow motion as the helicopter did a tailspin out of the sky, crashing through the top of the aviary. A cloud of flames and smoke followed. I clapped my hand over my mouth in horror.

Owen's grip on my waist tightened and he was suddenly steering me back towards the forest. "Get into the trees. Now!"

My heart thundered in my chest as I realized why. The sky was dotted with hundreds of the winged dinosaurs, all of them flocking in our direction. I pivoted on my heel and ran back towards the trees, Owen right behind me. High pitched screeches followed after us. I dove to the ground under the cover of the trees and a second later, Owen's body half covered mine, shielding me from the danger flying over us. His chest pressed against my shoulder, one arm slung around me as our heads ducked together. The trees rustled overhead, leaves, twigs, and other debris falling through the branches to forest floor as the pteranodons and dimorphodons sped overtop and skimmed the trees.

Eventually, the noise faded leaving just the sound of my blood pounding in my ears. We stayed still for a long moment, trying to catch our breaths. Owen rolled over onto his back as I pushed myself into a sitting position, slumping back against the fallen tree trunk we had taken cover near.

"Well, we're still alive." He finally said, tearing his eyes away from the canopy of trees to look at me.

I snorted with an unintentional, hysterical laugh, a completely inappropriate reaction to everything that had happened in the past ten minutes. "For now."

"And we're gonna keep on being alive." Owen said, reaching out and giving my knee a reassuring squeeze.

I covered his hand with mine. "Thank you for that, but I'm really just wishing I had stayed in bed today."

"You mean my bed?"

I groaned, pulling myself to my feet. I stood over him with my hands on my hips, quirking an eyebrow. "Is that really appropriate right now?"

Owen sighed before also standing, brushing off his clothing. "Not really, no, but that's how I'm gonna deal with this. Especially because we're about to run right back into this shit...those things were headed right for the park."

I frowned. "What are we gonna do?" The Indominus Rex had been one thing, but now there were dozens of other potentially dangerous creatures loose making everything a hundred thousand times worse.

He reached for me, brushing my hair out of my eyes. "We're gonna try and do whatever we can, and I'm gonna keep us alive in the process." His hand slid from my shoulder, down my arm, until his fingers were laced with mine.

Then we were off again, once again going against every instinct in my body as we launched ourselves towards danger, instead of away from it.


	20. Chapter Nineteen

**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

 _"FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THAT MORNING, I FELT SAFE AND WAS OVERCOME WITH THE REALIZATION THAT I CARED ABOUT OWEN SO MUCH MORE THAN I'D KNOWN"_

 _SONG TO LISTEN TO:_ THE JUNGLE _BY X-AMBASSADORS_

Owen and I finally made it back to park and were met with chaos. It was incredibly clear to me that no one had any idea what to do, that no one had ever come up with a realistic, functioning plan on what should happen if all hell ever broke loose. So instead, I watched dumbfounded as park employees scrambled all over the parking lot of the staff center, trying to find a vehicle to make a getaway in. Never mind that there were countless other people just on the other side of the walls in danger.

"Get on!" Owen's voice shattered my thoughts as he revved the engine of an ATV. I scrambled onto the back of it, wrapping my arms tightly around his waist as we sped off.

My hair whipped around me in a frenzy as we zoomed down the paved road, taking the maintenance road that led to the back entrance to the visitor's center on Main Street. I pressed my cheek to Owen's shoulder, breathing in his familiar scent, hoping it would calm me down. Instead, when we pulled up short to the staff entrance, I felt more paranoid than ever of what kind of chaotic horror we would found inside the park. I did my best to cram the feeling into the back of my mind, knowing there was much more at stake here. That I needed to be the best, brave version of myself possible for what I needed to do once we got inside.

"You ready?" Owen asked. He had shouldered off the strap of his gun and held the weapon in both hands.

I swallowed hard. "No." I answered honestly and Owen allowed himself a tiny amused smirk.

His blue eyes scanned my face for a quick second before he pulled me in for an abrupt kiss, catching me off guard yet again. "We find the kids, we find Claire, and we get the hell out. Don't do anything stupid, you hear me? If we get separated, you come right back here. I'll find you. Got it?"

"You know, you can be pretty damn bossy." I said, giving him a shaky smile.

He returned it for only a quick second before it was replaced with the hardened, determined look I was slowly coming to recognize. He pushed open the door and I ducked inside. The hallway was empty, the narrow corridor leading to a single white door at the other end. I glanced at Owen, and knew from the look on his face that I wasn't the only one who could hear the distant screams and yells coming from the other side. I gave him a curt nod, letting him know I was ready. Then we were jogging down the hallway, Owen's shoulder ramming into the door and throwing it open as we stumbled inside and were immediately swept up in the chaos. I was almost separated from him within a minute as a sea of terrified people came between us. I latched onto his arm, holding on tightly as we pushed our way inside.

Crying came from every side of the room as I stumbled over feet and pressed myself through the mob of people running away from the exact thing I was trying to get to. I finally managed to weave my way through to the front doors of the visitor's center, and I pressed my hands against the glass as I stared out towards the other side. It reminded me of a scene from a horror movie. Dimorphodons and pteranodons swooped down from the sky, picking off people from the midway as the ducked and dived for cover wherever they could find it.

"Stay low to the ground and be fast." I heard Owen's voice in my ear. "One the count of three...one, two-"

At the last count, I pushed open the doors and we rushed outside, joining the thrum of chaos. Following Owen's advice, I moved quickly down the steps, my eyes scanning every face that was passed. The midway looked like a war zone. Shattered glass, overturned food carts, souvenirs and toys that had been forgotten and dropped in the stampede. All around us people were hiding beneath benches and tables, peering around the corners inside the shops and restaurants.

"Zach! Gray!" I called out, cupping my hands around my mouth so my voice would carry.

We jogged down the street as I tried to be aware of everything happening on all sides of me at once. Every once in a while, one of the winged dinosaurs dove to the ground in an attempt to escape with it's prey. This was almost always followed by a quick shot from Owen's gun. Sometimes the dinosaur went away, and other times it seemed to pay no mind to the bullets and take off to the sky with a human being writhing in it's beak.

"Zach and Gray Mitchell!" I yelled again.

"Rylan?"

My stomach plummeted at the sound of an answering call. I whirled around, searching, before Owen stopped and pointed me in the direction were the two boys were waving frantically. They were sprinting towards us, a young woman not much older than I was following behind. Claire's assistant, Zara, most likely. Owen and I hurried forward, meeting them halfway. Out of pure instinct, I wrapped my arms around the youngest of the two and was shocked when he hugged me back.

"We've been worried sick about you two! Are you okay? What happened to you?" I asked as I pulled away, the words spilling from my mouth without any sort of control. My hands were smoothing back his tangled hair in a motherly sort of way I never thought I was capable of.

Just then, one of the smaller winged dinosaurs planted its feet next to us in a less than graceful landing. Dimorphodon, as Owen had briefed me, with's tiny body and raptor-like head. The pteranodons were the bigs ones, the ones with the sharp teeth. I pushed Zach and Gray behind me as Owen raised his gun and fired it. It let out a squawk but kept coming towards him.

My heart was pounding again, bruising the inside of my ribcage. I could feel Gray's fingertips digging into my skin as he gripped my arm tightly. Suddenly, a terrified, high pitched scream pierced the air. I had just enough time to see Owen shoot down the dimorphodon before I was whirling around. My stomach leapt into my throat. A huge Pteranodon had Zara clutched in both of its clawed feet. She struggled helplessly, screaming herself hoarse. As the huge animal started to lift her from the ground, I did the exact thing Owen asked me not to, which was don't do anything stupid. I lunged towards Zara and grabbed her around the middle in an attempt to wrestle her from it's grip.

I heard Owen yell my name as hands tried to latch onto me and pull me back to safety. My feet had already left the ground, though, as the pteranodon lifted us up higher and higher into the sky. Too late to let go without plummeting to a world of hurt. My grip on Zara was slipping and she reached down to grab onto my arms and hold me in place.

"What do we do?" She screamed frantically.

I didn't answer her, because I had no idea. I made the mistake of looking towards the ground. I could just make out Owen, Gray, and Zach chasing after us down the midway. I squeezed my eyes shut tightly. Why why why did I have to try and the hero? And even halfway through that thought I knew the answer. Because I would want someone to try and do the same for me, even if in the end, we both ended up getting killed and eaten alive by giant dinosaur birds.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god..." I muttered under my breath, gritting my teeth as we swayed violently from side to side.

There was a sudden jolt that almost made me lose my grip on Zara and my eyes flew open. Another one of the dinosaurs was biting and scratching at the one holding us. Wanting it's prey, or more accurately, us. Zara was screaming again. My mouth was clamped shut, too terrified to move or make a sound. There was another jolt, bigger than the one before, as the pteranodon was rammed by another of its kind. It lost it's ground, failing and zig zagging through the air until suddenly we were falling. I found my voice again as a terrified scream ripped through me.

I didn't want to look down but instinct took over, and my eyes shot towards the smooth, blue surface below us. Water. I felt relief only for a moment as it was replaced with new kind of fear. We were being dropped right into Mo's tank. I lost my hold on Zara as we hit the water and were pulled beneath the surface. I clawed my way through the water, gasping for air when I made it topside again. Zara was splashing and writhing in the water, panicking in a way that was going to get her killed.

"Zara, stop!" I managed to yell to her, accidentally taking in a mouthful of water and sputtering. She didn't hear me, though, and the next second, two of the pteranodons dived into the water an in attempt to grab her again. I watched in horror as they fought over her. "Zara!" I screamed again, this time more in horror than anything else.

One of them managed to get a hold of her and began lifting her into the air. Before the other one could turn it's sights on me, treading water just feet away, I gulped in a deep breath of air and dove underneath the surface. I pushed myself towards the direction of the edge of the tank, trying to suspend the guilt I felt at abandoning Zara. There was nothing I could do for her though, not without getting myself killed. I propelled myself through the dark water, doing my best to stay calm and not think about the giant creature that could've been lurking anywhere beneath me.

I didn't surface again until my lungs were burning and begging for air. I blinked water from my eyes and could see I wasn't far from the tank's edge. Gray and Zach were there, waving at me frantically. Owen was next to them, poised half on the railing like he was getting ready to jump in after me. At that moment, I felt the vibrations through the water before I even heard or saw a thing. The jet of water that was suddenly pushed from underneath made me turn against my better judgement and look over my shoulder. My jaw dropped and my eyes widened, as I watched in terrified shock as Mo emerged from the water. She was huge, and I realized now more than ever how small I was. Her gigantic jaws were open wide as she easily gulped in both Zara and the pteranodon that was holding onto her.

"Swim!" Zach's voice cut through the air in a sudden moment of clarity. I had to get out, or else.

I pushed myself, swimming hard and faster than I ever had in my life. I blocked out everything around me, focusing only on my breathing and the burning in my limbs that meant I was still alive. When I finally reached the side of the tank, arms were already grabbing and yanking me over the edge. I climbed my way over the side, collapsing in a heap on the concrete. My breath was coming in gasps, adrenaline spiking through me and making me buzz from head to toe.

"Are you okay? Rylan!"

I realized Gray was crouched in front of me, talking to me. He was pale and tear tracks stained his cheeks. I looked around him and saw Zach standing at his shoulder, looking at me with the same paled expression. "Owen." I managed to gasp.

I forced myself to my feet and pushed my way past them. A group of uniformed men carrying guns were fighting off the dinosaurs, and directly in front of them just feet away was Owen on his back struggling with a dimorphodon. He must've been attacked while debating whether or not to jump in after me. I barely registered that Claire was also suddenly there, standing over him, fumbling with his gun.

In a sudden act of either boldness or desperation caused from my near death experience, I lurched towards her and grabbed the gun from her hands. I'd only fired a gun once in my life, at a shooting range, and never one this big, but I suddenly felt like I knew what to do. I pointed the barrel towards the winged carnivore, snapping its jaws dangerously close to Owen's head. I pulled the trigger and the recoil sent me stumbling backwards. The dimorphodon fell limply to the ground.

Owen scrambled to his feet, and there was a moment of intense silence between us as we looked at each other. For me, realizing what I'd almost lost. Then he was crushing me to him, holding me close to his chest. I was soaking wet from head to toe, but I barely noticed as I wrapped my arms around him and let him hold me. He pulled away from me and suddenly melded his lips to mine, fingers threading through my wet hair. Our mouths moved together in a frantic, desperate way that spoke volumes without any words. For the first time since that morning, I felt safe and was overcome with the realization that I cared about Owen so much more than I'd known. I gripped the front of his shirt tightly in both hands. I liked the feel of him, solid and warm beneath my fingertips. I shivered as his own hands found their way to my waist. I didn't want to let go, didn't want to face the world outside of that moment. Eventually, though, it ended. When we finally broke apart, we were both breathless. His lips pressed against the top of my head and I buried my face into his chest, breathing in his woodsy, pepperminty scent and letting it wash over me.

"Jesus Christ, Rylan." I heard him say weakly. "Don't you ever do anything like that again. Remember when I said don't do anything stupid?" He pushed back the damp strands of hair that were sticking to my face.

"I know, I know but I-I though I could save her and I didn't and I-" I stumbled, trying to block the image of Zara being swallowed alive from my mind forever.

"You did the best you could...but it was stupid. God, it was stupid." He breathed, shaking his head as his gaze flickered over my face. "Are you okay?"

I nodded. "Are you?"

"Because of you...Ry, I-" He was interrupted by the sound of another round of gunshots close by. The noise brought us both plummeting back to reality. "We need to go."

We pulled a part to see Claire hovering over Zach and Gray the same way I had when I'd first spotted them. "We need to get out of here!" I called over to them. Claire whirled around and twice in one day grabbed onto me and hugged me tightly.

"Thank god...I was so worried." She said in a relieved, but shaky voice.

I hugged her back, suddenly overwhelmed with gratefulness that she, of all people, was here with me. "Me too." I said quietly. We pulled away and smiled at each other before Owen was reminding us it was time to go.

The five of us took off at a sprint, the midway and all adjacent streets still filled with terrified guests. Owen led us to the same high, locked gate we had passed through the very first night he taken me home on his motorcycle. As Claire flashed her badge and the locking mechanism flashed green, we slipped through to the other side. Dozens of employees darted around, talking quickly in walkie talkies and cell phones, hardly noticing us let alone the rest of the world around them. We passed by the paddock that I knew housed the t-rex just as Claire's own cell phone began to ring.

She raised a hand, signaling us to stop. "What now, Lowery?" She asked in a low, quiet voice.

The rest of us huddle around her, trying to stay out of the way of the others around us. "Wait, wait...slow down." She covered her opposite ear with her hand, eyebrows furrowed together and a concentrated frown tugging at her pink lips. I stepped closer, but still couldn't make out a single word coming from the other line. Her eyes suddenly snapped towards Owen, though, and his limbs stiffened. "What do you mean they want to use the raptors to hunt the Indominus?"

Disbelief flooded his features before his expression hardened, hands tightening into two tight fists at his side. I whirled around to look at him, my mind flashing back to the conversation I'd overheard between him and Hoskins just that morning. "He wanted this to happen." I said, dumbfounded. "He was waiting for this to happen."

"Son of a bitch." Owen muttered, pacing a few steps away as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Guys..." Zach's voice suddenly said, in a quiet sort of anxiousness.

His brown eyes were glued on the huge doors behind us, next to the smaller employee door we had just passed through. Something was battering against the other side. The lock was slipping, giving away more and more with each forceful shove. My pulse quickened, my first thought automatically pinpointing the Indominus Rex. I listened harder, though, and the muffled, fearful shouting on the other side gave away the true driving force behind the doors.

"We need to get out of here." Owen said quickly.

"There!" Claire said, pointing towards a jeep that had seemingly been forgotten in the middle of the path.

We all scrambled towards it. Owen took the driver's side as I slid into the front, Claire and her nephews diving into the back. We had barely slammed the doors shut, the locks clicking into place and engine roaring to life, as the huge, tall doors in front of us gave way and a stampeded of terrified people flooded through.

"Go!" Gray and Zach both yelled as I gripped the dashboard in both hands. Owen threw the jeep into reverse, expertly guiding the car back into a corner, tucked away from the pathway. We watched in shock as a huge crowd pushed their way past, desperate to escape the chaos happening on Main Street.

"Can we stay with you?" Gray suddenly asked between breaths.

"I'm never ever leaving you as long as you-" Claire began to assure him, but suddenly both boys were interrupting her.

"No, No! We mean him!" Gray corrected her, leaning forward in his seat to pat Owen's broad shoulder.

"Yeah, definitely him." Zach agreed.

Owen gave me a bewildered look. "Is there enough room for me in your posse?" I teased weakly, giving him a tiny smirk.

"Oh please." Claire sighed, sinking back into her seat.

I glanced at Owen out of the corner of my eye, just in time to see a small, satisfied smile flit across his lips. It vanished quickly, though, my mouth set into a thin line. "We better try and stop Hoskins before he makes this worse."

I nodded, a feeling of dread filling my stomach as Owen finally pulled out onto the path. I remembered the determined, haughty look on Hoskins' face as he talked to Owen. The look in his beady eyes made it clear that he was a man who wouldn't take no for an answer. In the very back corner of my mind, a voice was warning me to prepare for the worst. That maybe this was one battle Owen wouldn't win.


	21. Chapter Twenty

**_A/N:_**

 _MY PEOPLE! You guys are amazing...While I'm Alive is slowly but surely climbing to the top of the Owen Grady list and I have all of you to thank for that. Thank you for all the votes, comments, messages, and support. Know I am forever grateful._

 _Also...I am going to shamelessly plug my original story here. If you haven't read Chasing Shadows yet, please give it a chance! It's entered in Wattpad's 'So You Can Think You Can Write' contest so the more views, votes, and feedback I get, the better my chances! Here's the link below:_

story/47631263-chasing-shadows-sytycw15-carinapress

 _Once again, you guys are amazing. Thank you._

 _xo_

 _Nikki_

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY**

"HIS LIPS TWITCHED BEFORE HE WAS PULLING ME TOWARDS HIM, PRESSING HIS MOUTH HARD AGAINST MINE. IT WAS QUICK AND TO THE POINT, BOTH OF US AWARE WE DIDN'T HAVE MUCH TIME."

 _SONG TO LISTEN TO:_ WHEREVER YOU GO _BY RON POPE_

Owen had gone from angry to raging pissed off during the short drive to the raptor containment unit. His grip on the steering wheel was turning his knuckles white, and his eyes that normally glinted with laughter and mischievousness were dark, stormy, and filled with the desire to tear Hoskins into pieces. I bit my lips to keep from saying anything, knowing full well that there wasn't much I could do or say to remedy the situation. It was much too out of control by now, full scale on a level that was over my head.

The octagon paddock came into view, surrounded by sleek armored vehicles and men in black uniforms all bearing the same Ingen logo. It looked like they were preparing to go to war. Owen was out of the car the second the engine died. I went after him, stumbling out of the passenger seat and jogging to catch up with him. Claire and the boys followed.

A man with broad shoulders and a familiar graying head of hair stood facing the paddock, hands on his hips. He turned at the sound of our footsteps and we were met with Hoskin's smug face. "Well, well, well! Look who finally decided-"

Owen's fist suddenly slammed into Hoskins, hitting him squarely on the jaw. I let out a gasp of surprise, my mouth falling open. Zach and Gray let out matching whoops, as Claire cringed at my side.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Owen demanded. He looked like he wanted to take another swing at him.

Hoskins staggered upright, clutching at his jaw. Blood pooled at the corner of his mouth. "I'm doing what should be done! What you refuse to do!"

"Owen!" Barry's voice called out across the lot. I combed the area for him, finally seeing him quickly climbing down the catwalk's steps to reach us. "Did he tell you? He wants to let them loose! Actually believes this is a good idea!" He sneered, giving Hoskins a dirty look as he came to stand next to Owen. He eyed Hoskin's swelling lip, his own mouth twitching in a pleased smirk, putting together what had happened.

"They've never been out before! There's no telling what could happen! It could be a bloodbath, Hoskins!" Owen argued.

"Or it could save lives! How many people have already been injured today? How many have lost their lives because you couldn't take control of the situation!" Hoskins spat, looking venomously between Owen and Claire. She stuck out her chin defiantly, but I saw the guilt pooling in her eyes. I reached down and grabbed her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Tomorrow morning, when this story gets out and is broadcasted world wide, do you want to be the heroes who did whatever it took to save lives, or the people who did nothing?" He turned towards Owen, getting directly in his face, his voice a toxic whisper. "This is happening. With or without you." Then he stalked off, wiping the blood off his chin with the back of his hand.

Owen glared at his retreating back, conflict and indecisiveness flickering across over his face. I was sure I only understood a fraction of what he was feeling. He had basically raised all four of the raptors since they hatched, knew and understood them in a way no one else could. The idea of the four of them being out, running loose, made my blood run cold. With Owen involved, though, there was a better chance at keeping them under control. He knew that and hated it.

"What do we do?" Barry asked, breaking the heavy silence.

Owen's eyes flickered towards me, and I could see the struggle there. I nodded encouragingly. "Do what you have to." I said softly.

He let out a breath through pursed lips, resigning himself to what needed to be done. "Barry, get the girls into their stalls." He said to his friend. Barry nodded curtly, but from the way he was looking at Owen I could tell he understood why they had to go along with what Hoskins wanted. "You all need wait inside that armored truck. If this goes bad, you need to get out of here fast."

Claire, for once, didn't argue. The seriousness of the situation was felt by all of us. She ushered the boys towards the van as I lingered with Owen. "Go wait with Claire...I'll find you before we leave." He assured me, nodding his head in the direction she had just disappeared in. I hesitated only for a second before turning away from him so he could have time to do what needed to be done.

Claire was just closing the heavy doors of the back of the van, and I caught a glimpse of Gray and Zach looking unsure before the doors were shut. She turned to look at me, shaking her head.

"My sister is never going to let them come near me ever again after this."

I snorted. "Stop it, that's not true. Their parents will probably just be happy to see them."

She leaned against the back of the van, looking drained, which was exactly the way I felt. It had been the longest day of my entire life. "I hope this works."

"You and me both." I muttered. "For the sake of all of us on this island. Did you ever get ahold of Violet?" I asked suddenly.

"I called her and told her what was happening. She said she was going to get as many people as she could and head down towards the docks, to wait for the next boat whenever that might be." Claire said.

I sank back against the van, relieved that at least one person I cared about but was somewhere remotely safe. At least much safer than where the rest of us were.

"Are you worried about him?" Claire asked. I glanced at her, taking in her wary, but concerned expression. I hesitated before nodding, anxiously chewing my lower lip. "You've seen him out there...he's going to be fine. And I really hate to say this, but I might've changed my mind. I guess he's not so bad...he's done a good job at keeping us alive."

A laugh bubbled up inside me, escaping before I could stop it. Claire looked at me in surprise, but cracked a smile. "That's the nicest thing you've ever said about him."

She shrugged. "See? Even the ice queen is capable of change."

A small smile played about my lips. "Even though this is the worst possible situation for any of us to be in right now, I'm glad you're here."

Claire scooted closer to me, letting her head drop onto my shoulder. "I'm glad you're here too."

We stayed that way, watching as the uniformed men loaded a military style jeep with weapons, attaching huge flood lights to the roof. Each of them had an impressive looking gun slung over their shoulder. For whatever reason, though, none of this put me at ease. They had absolutely no idea what they were walking into. Owen had been right. Ingen cared nothing for learning about the animals they created. They just cared about finding ways to manipulate them to fit their own needs.

Claire suddenly straightened up and I glanced in front of us to see Owen making his way towards us, a grim expression on his face. He handed a tablet to Claire after pressing the on button. Four different screens popped up. "Each of the girls has a camera attached. You'll be able to watch everything from here." He explained.

This both made me feel relieved and anxious. I hoped I wouldn't have to see something I didn't want to. Owen suddenly gave Claire a pointed look and she sighed, disappearing around the side of the van. I heard a door slam shut after she had climbed into the driver's side. Once we were alone, he took my hand and led me a few feet away, into a shadowy corner near the cage where no one would see us.

He turned his eyes on me, but I was already talking before he had a chance to even open his mouth. "I don't like this." I admitted. "The idea of you going out there scares the crap out of me." It had been hard enough watching him in the cage with them once. This was a whole different playing field. There wouldn't be bars, or walls, or any place to hide if the raptors decided they didn't want to play Hoskins game.

"I don't like it either, but it's not like I have much of a choice. I know those animals...it's better for everyone if I'm there for this." He said quietly, voicing what I'd already told myself.

"I know that, I do. I'm just worried." I sighed.

"You don't need to be. Nothing bad is going to happen to me." He argued lightly.

I scowled at him. "Don't say things to make me feel better. You don't know that. Of course I'm gonna be worried...my boyfriend is about to ride off into the night with a pack of velociraptors and do battle with a genetically modified monster! If something happens to you, Owen, I don't know what I'll do." I said, the words rattling out of me in one breath. I saw the surprise register on his face and too late realized what had slipped out of me. I felt my cheeks flush.

"Did you just call me your boyfriend?" Owen asked, perking a single eyebrow.

I gaped at him. "Seriously? Out of everything I just said, that was the one thing you got out of it?"

His lips twitched before he was pulling me towards him, pressing his mouth hard against mine. It was quick and to the point, both of us aware we didn't have much time. His hands pressed against to small of my back, calloused fingertips brushing against the stretch of skin between my shirt and jeans. I cupped his face in my hands as we pulled away, my thumbs grazing the stubble on his cheeks. "Be careful out there, Grady. I mean it." I said softly.

"I will." I could feel his warm breath against my skin as he swiftly pressed his lips to mine one last time before untangling himself from me and taking a few steps back in the direction of the convoy that was gathering nearby. "And just so you know, we are finishing that conversation when I get back." He flashed me a very Owen-like smirk before turning around and jogging away to meet up with the others.

I stared after him, a tidal wave of conflicted emotions washing over me. How he was so capable of making me feel so many things at once, I had no idea. As I watched him swing himself onto his motorcycle and rev the engine, I no longer regretted letting that one troublesome word slip out of me. In the grand scheme of things, maybe I'd given Owen extra incentive to come back alive and in one piece. Regardless, it had been a small admittance of the way I felt about him and that was something I didn't want to take back.

I turned and ran back to the van, sliding myself into the passenger set. Claire glanced at me before scooting closer to the middle, holding out the tablet in front of her so we both could see it. "This is it." She said quietly. Right now, all we could see on each of the screens with the inside of the metal stalls.

"Is he gonna be okay?" I heard a tiny voice ask. I glanced over my shoulder to see both Zach and Gray peering through a tiny, rectangular hole in the barrier that divided the cab from the rear of the truck. His blue eyes were wide, full of innocence and fear. Even his brother, who had done such a careful job of always rearranging his features to show nothing, had let his guard down to showcase his own worry. I gave them both what I hoped was a brave smile. "Of course he is. If anyone can do this, it's Owen."

"They're out." Claire suddenly said in a clipped, low tone.

I spun around in my seat, eyes falling onto the tablet in her hands. The sounds of engines roaring to life filled the air as the convoy rushed past. I was surprised I could hear anything over the pounding of my heart. On the screen, the four raptors whipped easily through the jungle, weaving effortlessly around the thick vegetation. They were fast, and more nimble than I'd expected. I'd never seen anything like it in my entire life. Having been up close with the raptors while they were caged and confined was one thing, but seeing them in action made my head spin.

My breath hitched in my throat as Owen appeared on one of the cameras, leaning close to the handles of his motorcycle as the four creatures he cared for the most raced along side him.

"Jesus Christ." I whispered weakly, letting my head fall back against the headrest. Seeing him surrounded by danger on every side was more terrifying than anything I had already endured that day...which only seemed to make the massive, looming intensity of my feelings for him that much more tangible.

"Your boyfriend's a badass." Zach suddenly said in a tone of pure reverence.

I smiled to myself a little, but something happening on the screen of the tablet caught my attention and quickly wiped the grin from my face. I pulled it towards me, watching with bated breath and a pulse that refused to slow. For a moment, I wasn't sure what I was looking at.

"The Indominus." Claire said in a hushed voice. I could hear the shakiness in each breath exhaled as she moved closer to get a better look at the tablet.

I titled my head to one side and finally it registered. All four of the raptors were gathered around the massive clawed feet of the Indominus Rex...only there was none of the aggress and hostility I'd been expecting. And even though we couldn't hear anything, I could almost sense the calm before a storm. One of the raptor cams turned and my eyes found Owen instantly. He was surrounded on either side by Barry and Hoskins' people. Even on the less than perfect video feed, I saw the look of betrayal register on his face. He started yelling, and every man around him began firing their weapons at both the raptor and the Indominus.

My grip on the tablet turned vice like and I was only vaguely aware of Claire snapping something at the boys before sliding the divider shut. It felt like acid was gnawing at my insides, my heart felt lodged somewhere inside my throat. I watched as the chaos unfolded on each of the screens, fiery explosions of light that I knew was gunfire and explosives, glittering claws and teeth. I kept searching for Owen, but couldn't pick him out. One by one, the screens turned to static as the cameras lost power.

Claire pried the tablet from my hands before turning me to face her. "It's going to be fine, Rylan." She was using her 'business' voice, smooth and soothing but I could hear the tremors underneath. "Owen will be okay."

"What do we do? I mean, what am I supposed to do? He's out there and-" I was stammering. I felt suddenly out of control of myself as my hands trembled. I scoured the cab for something to do, anything to do to keep busy and keep my mind from completely losing it.

"Owen said if things got bad to go! So that's what we need to do! Okay? Rylan?" I glanced at her and saw the worry creasing her brow.

I nodded numbly. "Just...give me a second." I pushed open the door of the cab.

"Rylan, no! Stay inside-"

I slammed the door shut on Claire's voice and slumped back against the side of the truck. I stared at the gravel as I tried to grasp for a shred of sanity or calmness. I gulped in air. Owen was out there with now five creatures bent on the killing of humans. I hoped that Hoskins, wherever he was, felt like an asshole because the next time I saw him, I was going to rip him a new one. I couldn't stop seeing the betrayal in Owen's eyes as his girls turned on him, easily replacing him with a bigger, stronger alpha. Owen was strong too, though, and I had to trust he would make it back to me alive and in one piece. For right now, he would expect Claire and I to do what we had to keep ourselves and the boys safe. An idea began to take form and I jumped at it, eager for something to keep my mind busy.

I threw open the passenger door where Claire still sat behind the wheel, looking stricken. "We need weapons. Guns." I said breathlessly. "Owen has to have some in his office. All the paddocks come equipped with emergency stock in case something happens, right?"

"Well, I mean the weapons aren't lethal. It's mostly tranquilizer darts or stun guns." She started, but shook her head. "We need to just go, though. It's even less safe out there now!"

"It'll take me five minutes, Claire." I assured her, feeling almost in control again.

"Rylan, neither of us would even know how to use those things!" She argued. She felt for the keys in the ignition, as if needing assurance they were still there for when we needed a getaway.

"We'll figure it out. Give me five minutes!" I said again.

I slammed the door shut on her a second time and raced towards the paddock. Owen's office was on the ground floor, a square room built into the concrete. I'd only seen the inside once at a glance, but I remembered the towering, metal cabinet shoved into a corner. It was still there when I pushed open the office door and rushed inside. I shoved aside the black desk chair and tugged on the cabinet handles. I swore under my breath. Locked, of course.

I swore I could almost feel time slipping away from me as I surveyed the room for a key. "Key, key, key." I muttered under my breath as I began rifling through papers and files on the desk. I pulled open the top desk drawer and inhaled sharply. No key, but there nestled amongst the mess of unfilled paperwork was a glossy handgun. It looked almost like the kind I'd used at the range. I gingerly took it into my hand, the weight much heavier than I expected. It was better than nothing, though. I hoped Owen wouldn't mind me borrowing it.

Holding it tightly in one hand, I swung the office door shut behind me. I almost missed the frantic, terrified yells that came from the jungle. The presence of the gun in my hand seemed strong than ever as I swung around towards the source of the noise. Not even a full second later, one of Hoksins' Ingen guys in full gear came bursting through the trees, screaming at me to run.


	22. Chapter Twenty-One

**CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE**

 _"RELIEF CRASHED OVER ME IN WAVES AS MY EYES SWEPT OVER OWEN, SUDDENLY FEELING DELIRIOUS WITH HAPPINESS THAT HE WAS HERE AND HE WAS ALIVE"_

 _SONG TO LISTEN TO:_ ALWAYS _BY PANAMA_

Terror leapt at me as I swiftly took in the horror on his own face. I raced back towards the car, pulling the backdoors open. Zach and Gray looked surprised to see me, but quickly scrambled to my side to help pull me in. The Ingen guy was still shouting hoarsely as he lunged into the back after me. Only he didn't make it. The three of us erupted into our own yells of terror as one of the raptors clawed at him and ripped him back outside. I stumbled backwards, hitting the floor of the van hard.

"Go, Claire! Go!" Zach was screaming, pounding on the divider that led to the cab. I felt the engine roar to life.

I remembered the gun in my hand and raised it shakily. The raptor let out an ear piercing screech as it appeared at the back of the van again. I pulled the trigger but nothing happen. Terror swallowed me up as it tried to claw it's way into the van and Claire stepped on the gas.

The safety!

My fear suddenly made everything feel so much crisp and clear, all of my senses coming alive. I clicked the safety of the gun and pulled the trigger again. I felt the force of the bullet leave the gun and wedge itself into the thick hide of the raptor. It's teeth snapped as it roared in pain before tumbling from the back of the truck. It stumbled and staggered, dazed but alive. We left it in the distance.

Adrenaline hummed beneath my skin, rushing through me like an electric current. Both Gray and Zach were looking at me with wide eyes.

"Are you guys okay?" I asked, leaning back on my elbows as I tried to catch my breath. The back doors of the van swung on their hinges as we drove.

They both nodded just as Claire shouted at us through the tiny divider door that had been slid back open at some point. "Everyone okay?"

"We're fine!" Zach yelled back to his aunt. I carefully pulled myself to my feet, placing one hand on the side of the van as I reached for one of the doors in an attempt to close them. It was inches from my fingertips when, out of nowhere, I was sprawled on my back again. Claire had abruptly jerked the van hard to one side and I could hear her screaming from the cab. Zach scrambled to look in on her when Gray suddenly started pointing and yelling at the top of his tiny lungs.

"Rylan!"

Just as my name left his mouth, I spun around in time as a raptor launched itself towards the van from the pavement. It landed half in the van and half out, and there was an explosion of searing white hot pain coming from my thigh. I let out a scream of pain, kicking at it with my good leg as I felt around the floor for the gun. I felt the cool metal in my hand and aimed it at the raptor and pulled the trigger. It was empty.

"One bullet, Grady!?" I screeched in disbelief. I gritted my teeth through the pain and kicked at the raptor again, it's teeth glistening inches from my leg.

At that moment, Zach and Gray came to my rescue. Somewhere in the back of the van, they'd found a taser stick and were using it to shock the raptor. I managed to somehow push myself towards the back of the van, my head swimming from the pain. I gripped my thigh tightly in both hands, the gun on the floor next to me. Warm blood seeped in-between my fingers and I felt even more dizzy as I glanced down and saw the torn flesh underneath the hem of my shorts. I glanced up as the two brothers let out a loud cheer as the raptor finally fell and fumbled to the pavement and we left it in our dust.

"God damn it!" I grunted, the pain rolling off me in waves.

"Rylan's hurt, Aunt Claire!" Gray was stumbling past me to yell into the cab. I heard Claire's answering shout of 'tell her to hold on!' and wanted to yell back that her driving was making that pretty hard but the pain had dulled my witty comeback reaction time.

I wasn't a doctor by any means, but I knew the cut was deep. Maybe not deep enough to be life threatening, but deep enough to at least hurt like hell. I settled my back against the furthest wall. Zach was pulling open all the cabinets and drawers in the back of the van but came back to my side empty handed.

"There's not a first aid kit anywhere in here!" He said franticly. His dark eyes flickered to the cut and he paled.

"I need to wrap something around it…did you find anything sharp?" I asked him. Gray crouched down next to me and wrapped his arms around his knees. He was looking at me like he wanted to help but didn't know how. "I'm fine, Gray." I said, trying to give him a reassuring smile which quickly turned into a wince.

"I have a pocket knife!" Zach exclaimed, like he had just recently remembered. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a red pocket knife. He passed it to me and I slid open the blade before using it to tear off a narrow strand of fabric from the bottom of my shirt. I handed the knife back before wrapping the purple fabric tightly around my thigh.

"Are you sure you're just a bartender?" Zach asked, eyeing me warily.

I let out a surprised laugh. "Yeah, I just watch a lot of CSI shows." I joked. Both of them cracked tentative smiles.

The low drone of a motorcycle engine pricked at my ears. I pushed myself further up against the wall, peering out the open backdoors. Owen was gaining on us, a grim expression on his face as he pulled up towards the back of the truck.

"Owen!" Gray was shouting excitedly, jumping up and down. A smile tugged at my lips, glad he could at least jump for joy for me.

Relief crashed over me in waves as my eyes swept over Owen, suddenly feeling delirious with happiness that he was here and he was alive. Either that or it was the blood loss. Our eyes locked for a long moment, and a thousand unspoken emotions suddenly seemed to transfer between us. Then he was swerving out of sight, moving towards the driver's side where I could hear him shouting to Claire.

I closed my eyes, feeling the warmth of Gray sitting next to me as we bumped and rattled down the road. He linked his arm through mine, resting his head on my shoulder. I peeked down at him and felt a sudden swell of affection towards Claire's nephew, knowing that this was his way of trying to make me feel better.

When we finally halted to a stop, Zach and Gray both helped me to my feet as I limped towards the back doors. Owen was there in a heartbeat, blue eyes wild with concern as he reached for me, pulling me into his arms. I crushed myself against him, breathing in the strong scent of gasoline and sweat. I felt his warm breath against the crook of my neck as he buried his face in my shoulder.

"You're okay." I breathed, squeezing my eyes shut at the swell of emotion that sudden seemed to be enveloping us both.

His lips brushed the skin beneath my ear before he was pulling away and scanning the dark blood that covered my upper thigh. "Yeah, but you're not." He said gruffly. Before I could argue, he swept me up into his arms. I flinched as his hand brushed against the torn skin, any urge to protest that I could walk on my own dying on my tongue.

"Control room." Claire said as Owen turned to face her and the boys. She met my eyes before her gaze flickered to the cut on my thigh. She looked back at Owen fearfully. "There's a first aid kit there, hurry!"

I held on tight to Owen's neck as we raced up the concrete steps to the innovation center. Looking over his shoulder, I saw how much Jurassic World suddenly resembled an apocalyptic city with all the horror and damage that had taken place. I swallowed hard, tightening my grip on Owen, the solidness of him making me feel safe even though I knew in reality, none of us were.

Inside, the emptiness and quiet of the building was eerie. Our footsteps echoed throughout the high ceilinged room as we ran down the hallway pass the empty, abandoned labs. An evacuation had happened then, at some point or another. Up ahead, Claire slowed to a stop, looking towards the labs with a quizzical look on her face.

"What is it?" I asked in a hushed tone. Before she could answer, I heard it for myself, the sounds of glass breaking and things crashing around inside what I had thought were empty labs. Claire pushed her nephews behind her and stepped into the glaring whiteness of the Jurassic World labs. Owen followed with me still held tightly in his arms.

When I spotted Hoskins with his back to us, raged flared in me like the wick of a firework ready to go off. I struggled in Owen's arms, ignoring the searing pain in my leg. "Put me down now." I hissed. Grown man or not, Hoskins was part of the reason so many lives had been lost today, why Owen had been in danger, why I was bleeding, and why all five of us were still stuck here in the middle of everything. "You son of a-"

Hoskins whirled to face us, looking momentarily shocked.

Owen quickly set me down, pressing a finger to my lips. "Let me handle this." He urged, pushing me behind him with Claire and the boys as he turned to face Hoskins. Claire came to my side instantly, wrapping an arm around my shoulders so I could lean against her. I limped around Owen so I could get a better view of what was about to surely go down.

"What the hell are you doing, Hoskins?" Owen asked in a low voice, and I could almost feel him bristling with danger.

"What does it look like?" Hoskins answered, arching an eyebrow. His arms were full and it took me a minute to realize what he was stealing…the dinosaur embryos. "All of this technology and power at your disposal, and you waste it on a theme park?" He let out a dry, humorless laugh. Clearly pleased with himself.

"Where's Henry?" Claire asked.

Hoskins gave her an amused smile. "Henry Wu is now Ingen property. We need him."

"That doesn't look like a dinosaur." Gray suddenly chimed in, pointing at a slim computer monitor. On the screen was a digital image of the Indominus Rex.

"That's because it's not, kid. That's a weapon and that's the future of the military."

"You're insane." I spat at him. "People are dead because of you."

Hoskins wheeled on me and Owen tried to push me further behind him but I shrugged him off, bracing myself against his side. "That's exactly why you're a civilian. You don't understand the price of war. Of winning a war." His eyes narrowed maliciously at me, but after everything I'd faced already, the man did little to scare me.

Glass suddenly shattered all around us, like an explosion. I felt Owen's arm go around me as I turned into him to shield my face. When I looked back at Hoskins, my eyes went wide. One of Owen's raptors had catapulted through the glass and was staring him down viciously. If I hadn't been so terrified for myself and the others, I would've almost enjoyed the look of pure terror on Hoskins' face.

"Easy, boy. Easy." His voice trembled as he held out a hand. I held my breath, waiting for the inevitable. "We're on the same team, remember?"

Then, as if to prove how very wrong he was, the raptor launched himself at Hoskins. The last thing I saw before turning away was the redness of blood being spray across the white wall. Owen's hand was on my back, giving me a push towards the door. I limped towards the exit and started off towards the control room. More crashing glass sounded behind me and I whipped around to see the raptor had already lost interest in Hoskins and was now standing menacingly between me and Owen. I froze, breath hitching in my throat. Owen, Claire, Zach, and Gray looked at me with wide terrified eyes. The raptor turned towards me and I swore it wore a gleeful smile as it's claws tapped against the marble floors. I took a tentative step back, hands shaking at my sides.

"Charlie! Don't even think about it!" Owen suddenly shouted, catching the raptor's attention. Charlie swung her head around to face her former alpha, and I could almost picture the curious look in her yellow eyes as she assessed him. As soon as her back was to me, Owen mouthed one word: Run. I hesitated for a moment, the idea of being separated from yet again crushing me. His blue eyes hardened, though, and I knew he was giving me an order, not a request. So I ran.

I turned and limped down the hallway towards the control as fast as I could. My breath was ragged and heavy, from fear, pain, and exhilaration as I fought against the blazing pain radiating up and down my entire leg. I didn't look behind me, but could hear Owen and the others yelling. I kept waiting to hear the tap tap of claws against marbled floor, or warm, sickly breath as Charlie pounced at me, but it never came. Instead, I made it to the elevator alive and hit the button frantically.

"Come on, come on." I muttered and finally the doors slid open and I tumbled inside. I hit the close button before sinking to the floor. I fell back against the wall and let my eyes shut as I struggled to catch my breath. It felt wrong, though, that I was safe while everyone I cared about was still out there.


	23. Chapter Twenty-Two

_**A/N:**_ _Sorry for the delay! The new job has been seriously kicking my ass. Haven't had a chance to really sit down and do any writing until now. So here it is...hope it was worth the wait. Thank you forever for all the love and support Owen and Rylan have been given. This story took off way more than I ever expected it to._

 _3_

 _Nikki_

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO**

 _"AT THAT MOMENT, MY TANGLED MESS OF EMOTIONS SUDDENLY STRAIGHTENED AND I REALIZED WITH AN UNEXPECTED, LURCHING THOUGHT WHAT I WAS FEELING_

 _SONG TO LISTEN TO:_ HERE TO MARS _BY_ _COHEED AND CAMBRIA_

The elevator doors slid open with a 'ping' that was far too cheerful. Using the wall, I pulled myself to my feet and staggered out into the control room. The lights were still blazing and the huge screen on the far wall showed an empty, trashed main street.

"Rylan?" A shocked voice asked.

I whirled around to see Lowery had emerged from behind a desk, eyes wide behind his thick framed glasses. "Lowery! Why aren't you out of here yet? Didn't they tell you to evacuate?"

He rushed to my side, putting an arm around my waist and helping me sit into one of the empty desk chairs. I pushed back my hair, which had been sticking to my skin with sweat. "Yeah, but somebody's gotta run the control room." He was answering me absentmindedly as he assessed my less than pleasant battle wound. "Christ, kid. What the hell happened? Sit tight and I'll grab the first aid kit."

I nodded, more glad to see him than I'd ever imagined I would be. I leaned back in the chair, swiveling to face the screen. A tiny gasp escaped me as four familiar faces appeared on the screen. I leaned forward over the control desk, mouth hanging open as I watched as Claire, Owen, and the boys were surrounded by three raptors. Claire and Owen pushed her nephews in between them and the fear on Gray's face crushed me. Owen carefully lowered his gun, setting it on the pavement between him and the raptor with the colored streak…Blue, I remembered.

"What are you doing, Grady?" I whispered under my breath, shaking my head. I could taste acid in my mouth as I gripped the control panel tightly. I'd never felt so helpless in my entire life. Watching Owen approach Blue made me wish I could leap through the screen and put myself between them. I wanted to watch, but I didn't. The notion of something terrible happening to Owen made my head spin and my insides ache, especially my heart which felt as if it might shatter if I never got to touch him again, smell that pepperminty, earthy scent, or see that boyish grin that made his eyes, pools of perfect blue, glow. At that moment, my tangled mess of emotions suddenly straightened and I realized with an unexpected, lurching thought what I was feeling.

 _Oh, jesus._

Lowery came back just then, holding the white first aid kit in between his hands. He crouched on the ground next to me and started unwrapping the torn shirt fabric from my leg.

"I think I'm in love with Owen Grady." The words slipped from my mouth in an amazed, low tone.

Lowery's eyes snapped towards me as he froze in the middle of cleaning my cut with an antiseptic cloth. "Excuse me? What the hell now?"

I was already looking back at the screen, feeling a thrill go through me. I was in love with Owen Grady. And he was out there and I was in here. "Can you hurry up?" I said to Lowery, looking back at him. "I need to do something."

He was carefully wrapping a thick, gauze bandage around my upper thigh. "Like what? Shouldn't you just stay here? It's not exactly safe out there…"

I was shocked at how much I didn't care. The minute he was finished, I was out of the chair. "Do you have weapons in here? Guns? Anything?"

Lowery stood back up, eyebrows furrowed as he watched me hobble across the room. "All we have left is a flare gun…everything else was cleaned out during the evacuation." He pulled a heavy black box out from beneath his desk and popped the lid open. Inside was the flare gun.

"That'll be fine."

Still looking completely unsure, Lowery loaded the flares and passed the gun to me. I took it from him, looking back towards the screen. Somehow, Owen had managed to sway his girl back on our side. The Indominus looked into view and my stomach jumped. I watched as my four friends tried to weave and duck around the chaotic fight that was happening just outside this building. I couldn't believe I was willingly about to walk back out there. Owen would most likely kill me himself, but how could I stay holed up in here when they were all in danger? I thought back to the first conversation I had with Owen, out in the stadium under a glowing canvas of starlight.

 _While I'm alive, I actually want to live._

Thanks to Owen, I'd gotten everything I'd asked for. I'd had adventures, I'd faced my fears and created incredibly, amazing memories. I'd lived. Would any of that mean anything if I let the man that helped that happen, the man I now realized I was in love with, die out there if I could do something? I had to at least tell him.

Determined and flare gun heavy in my hand, I limped towards the elevator and pressed the button. The doors slid open, but Lowery was suddenly there blocking my way. "You can't be serious. Do you see what's happening out there?" He asked with a wild expression, gesturing towards the screen.

"Lowery, people I care about very, very much are out there right now and I have to help them. You stay and help from here if you can." I pushed past him into the elevator and turned to give him one, last smile before pressing the button. "I'll see you." Then the metal doors slid shut and I was alone.

My bravado wavered as the elevator moved down floor after floor after floor. I didn't know if I was as brave as I felt or if it was a mirage but I had to try and do something. I stepped out of the elevator and listened for any sound, but it was quiet. I sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly and counted to three. Then I was moving down the narrow corridor as fast as my gimp leg would let me. I ran past the shattered glass on the floor, through the hologram dinosaur being projected in the lobby and burst through the doors out onto the front steps.

The air was sucked from my lungs for a moment. It was an all out war in the middle of main street. The Indominus let out a roar that made the ground beneath my feet tremble, before taking one of the raptors into its giant jaws and shaking it like a rag doll. Movement caught my eye and I turned to see Owen helping Gray and Zach into a souvenir shirt booth before crawling in after them. Claire was nowhere to be seen and I sent out a silent prayer that wherever she was, she was alright.

I held the flare gun out over my head and fired one shot towards the Indominus. It arched over the massive hybrid's head, lighting the sky in a brilliant burst of orange. It had exactly the effect I'd been hoping for. The Indominus lunged towards the flare, distracted long enough for the two last raptors standing to get an attack in and for me to make it unseen across the steps and down to the shirt booth.

"Rylan!" Zach exclaimed first, sitting up straight.

I took in the shocked expression on Owen's and the boys' faces when I suddenly appeared in the booth, awkwardly climbing over the ledge so as not to hurt my leg even worse. Owen latched onto me, helping me down and pulling me back away from the opening.

"Are you insane, Rylan? What the hell are you doing out here?" He exclaimed, the expression on his face a complicated mix of fury, relief, and fear. "What did I tell you about doing stupid things?" He scolded me.

"I couldn't sit there and do nothing!" I shook my head, pausing to take a deep breath. "Owen, I'm in-"

Gray and Zach were the first to start yelling, pushing themselves back against the furthest wall as the Indominus tried to snap its jaws through the tiny opening I had just crawled through seconds before. I scrambled backwards, falling over Owen. He quickly pulled me to his side, holding me tightly against him. We were trapped. Nowhere to go and nothing to fight back with. I scanned the tiny booth for the flare gun and spotted it just out of my reach, inches from rows of razor sharp teeth.

The stench of gasoline burnt my nostrils as I pressed my face into Owen's shoulder, trying to keep from screaming. His arm was wrapped protectively around my shoulders. My heart sounded like it was trying to escape my chest, the way it continued to batter relentlessly against my ribcage. I was shaking. Fear and adrenaline steadily pumping through me. I curled myself closer to him as I felt the warm, decaying breath of the Indominus rex as it snapped it's massive jaws at us, clawing and reaching with it's long talons.

I tried to focus on the rhythm of Owen's heartbeat and his tight, unyielding grip on me. The rows of glistening teeth suddenly vanished, followed by a roar that made my blood curdle and every hair on my body stand on end. I froze, unable to move, unable to breathe. Then, it came back a second time.

This is how I was going to die.

Here in this tiny souvenir booth, holding onto somebody I'd only just realized I loved. I tried to grasp the unfairness of it, using it to fuel my will to do anything to stay alive. Talons scraped against the concrete flooring, inching closer and closer until it latched onto the pack secured to Gray's waist . Owen and I both reached for him, holding onto him however we could as the I-Rex tried to reel him closer. Zach was fumbling for the buckle as Gray let out a strangled sob.

"Hold on, Gray!" My voice shook.

A breath of relief escaped me as the pack finally came unhooked. Gray curled himself into a tiny ball in-between Owen and Zach.

"We have to get out of here!" Zach shouted, looking towards Owen and I. I felt the same desperation I saw in his eyes and remembered the flare gun again. I stretched out my good leg and tried to use my foot to slide it towards me. I yanked it back at last second as the Indominus' claw swiped inside the booth.

"Don't! It's not worth it!" Owen said in my ear.

"We have to do something!" I entangled myself from his arm and once again tried to stretch myself for enough to reach the gun without getting killed in the process. I touched it with the toe of my shoe and bent my knee, sliding the gun along the concrete towards me. The second it was close enough, I reached down to grab it and pointed it out the clawed hand of the I-Rex. I squeezed the trigger and a flare shot from the barrel. The Indominus let out a throaty, angry roar. What I hadn't been expecting, was the answering roar.

I glanced at Owen with wide eyes and he looked momentarily frozen with shock. "T-Rex." He said in a hushed voice.

My heart should've just stopped beating right then and there. Velociraptors, the I-Rex, and now a T-Rex. Was there anything outside of this booth that didn't want to kill me? Between the flare and the roar that had signaled the arrival of a second huge predator, the I-Rex was distracted enough for us to make an escape. Owen slid out first before helping Gray and Zach jump down. As he reached for me and carefully helped me climb out, I saw a familiar head of red hair streaking across the midway.

"Claire." I breathed, swaying a little. "Jesus." There she was, my best friend since the third grade, running down main street in her heels with a flare in one hand and a T-Rex close behind. She threw the flare towards the I-Rex before ducking behind a boulder.

The T-Rex's footsteps pounded against the pavement and the four of us backed into the closest shop and watched from behind the thick glass window. It was like watching something straight out of a science fiction film or a documentary gone wrong. It's brown scales glistened, jaws parted so I could see rows and rows of jagged teeth. As I looked back at Claire, time seemed to slow down. I locked eyes with her.

"Run!" Her voice pierced the air.

Everything sped back up. I gave Gray a push to get his feet moving, his mouth hanging open as he watched the two carnivores face off. I wrapped my arm around Owen's waist as we ran as fast as my leg would let me down the midway. It was like what I imagined being in the middle of a war would feel like. Glass shattered all around us, pavement cracked beneath our feet, and massive pieces of debris came from all directions…benches, hotdog carts, trees. Basically anything and everything that could be destroyed, was.

We ran past the Margaritaville patio, skirting around a giant red table umbrella that was rolling along the ground. We barely made it onto the boardwalk when the tyrannosaurus was shoved backwards into the building, its massive body sending the roof of the restaurant crumbling in on itself. It must have been the fear, because the most irrational, stupid thought in the entire world crossed my mind as I watched the building collapse…I was officially out of a job.

Claire latched onto me with a death grip when we finally reached out, letting go only to tug her nephews closer to her. We ducked for cover, waiting for the battle to end. I felt dread pooling in the pit of my stomach, though, as the Indominus easily wore down the other massive carnivore. Owen was the first to perk, though at the familiar sound of a raptor call. He swiveled, and I crouched close to him, peering over his shoulder. Jesus, I never thought I'd be so happy to see a raptor sprinting full force in my direction ever but I was thrilled.

I could feel Gray's fingers digging into my arm as he curled himself closer to me, watching wide eyed as the I-Rex finally began to lose the upper hand. When Mo suddenly lurched out of the glassy surface of the water and snatched the I-Rex into her massive jaws, I almost missed the tiny, whispered cuss word that left Gray's lips.

"Shit." He whispered.

Had I not just been through an entire day of hell and had not been nursing a pretty deep claw wound, I would have laughed out loud. Instead, I felt my knees buckle with relief that it was over. Owen helped me to stand, letting me support my weight against him. He moved slowly and purposefully, though, and I realized it was because there was still a set of yellow eyes watching us. Blue seemed to be staring at us with an almost curious like expression. My eyes shifted to Owen and the immensity of the bond he shared with the raptor was bared in his expression. He nodded curtly and Blue took off in the opposite direction, running down the midway.

Claire was the first to speak. "Is it over?"

"I hope so." I murmured, wrapping an arm around Owen's waist.

"Can we please just get the hell out of here already?" Zach pleaded. Gray looked from me to Claire with wide eyes and she carefully pried his fingers from my arm and squeezed his hand.

"Come on, I bet your parents are ready to kill me." She attempted a weary smile. One arm around each of her nephews, she began to led them away from the carnage that used to be Jurassic World.

Owen and I stood still for a moment longer, though, and I relished the fact that for once we were safe just where we were. Relatively speaking anyways, I knew there were dinosaurs loose all over the park by now.

I glanced up at him, noting the tenseness of his jaw, the stubble that covered his cheeks, and the laugh lines at the corners of his eyes. It was hard to not look at him and think about how unfairly handsome he was.

"Are you okay?" I asked quietly, taking his hand in mine in an attempt to draw him out of his thoughts. The faraway look in his eyes that faded as he grasped my hand tighter in his.

His gaze swept over me, lingering on the hastily bandaged cut on my thigh. His lips pressed tightly together into a thin line. "Yeah, but you're not." He grunted. Once again leaving no room for protest, he easily swept me up from the ground and began trailing after Claire. I was suddenly too exhausted to argue, and the pain in my leg was becoming more noticeable as the adrenaline rush faded.

"Now what happens?" I asked quietly, looking over his shoulder at the ruins of Jurassic World. Owen hesitated. Maybe, like me, he didn't have an answer. Our jobs were gone, along with our homes. There was no way anyone would continue to work and live on the island in the near future. Mostly, though, I was thinking about me and Owen. This was the place that had brought us together, had put us through the most terrifying day of my life. Now that it was gone, what would happen to us? The swell of emotion I felt for him still pummeled and churned inside of me, waiting for a chance to escape.

 _I should just say it now, I thought to myself. I love you, Owen. Say it!_

"What're you thinking about a second ago?" I heard myself ask instead. Apparently now that the danger had passed, so did my courage.

He lowered his eyes towards me and shook his head. "Doesn't matter…" I furrowed my eyebrows together, ready to ask for an elaboration but his lips were suddenly tugging upwards at the corners. "Right now I'm thinking that we have some unfinished business."

"Unfinished business?" I repeated cluelessly. I leaned back in his arms to get a better look at his expression. The smug smile suddenly on his face made my stomach flip. I could tell he was worn out, exhausted, and dirty. Yet somehow, in a very Owen like manner, still managed to keep his sense of humor intact.

"Yeah…remember that casual use of the word 'boyfriend' that you let slip earlier?" He smirked. I ducked my face against his chest, breathing in the sting of gasoline and earth.

I felt about as red as a firetruck. Mortified. "God, do we have to? Shouldn't we be more worried about getting to actual safety? I would be shocked if my parents weren't already on the next flight out here."

"Great, you can introduce them to your boyfriend."

My breath hitched and I tried to hide it. He grinned down at me. Like I really could hide anything from him even if I tried.


	24. Chapter Twenty-Three

**CHAPTER TWENT-THREE**

 _"THOSE THREE WORDS SENT A THRILL THROUGH ME, IGNITING ME FROM HEAD TO TOE"_

 _SONG TO LISTEN TO:_ SAFE PLACE TO LAND _BY_ _CHRISTIAN BURGHARDT_

It felt like the longest walk of my life and I wasn't even the one doing the walking. More than once I asked Owen to put me down, but he refused. He hid it well, but I could tell my extra weight didn't make the short journey any easier on him. He was tired, like we all were. The fact that he had maintained his sense of humor throughout our ordeal didn't change the fact that there was a lot weighing on his mind. I could tell by the lines that creased the skin of his forehead and by the frown that took the place of his usual boyish smile. I didn't press him, though. Partly because I was in pain and worried that if I opened my mouth, I'd either puke or cry. Having a raptor gouge a hole in your leg was probably a good excuse to cry and scream, but I held it together for my own sake. And Owen's too.

When we finally made it to the evacuation center near the water, he passed me off to one of the island's paramedics. I gripped the edges of the cot tightly in both hands as the paramedic carefully cut away a few more inches of fabric from the leg of my jean shorts. Owen hovered behind him, watching me with worried eyes.

"I'm fine, Owen." I managed to get out through gritted teeth. "Go find Claire, or Violet. Anybody." It wasn't that I didn't want him there. It was that I hated being fussed over for any reason, even if it was legitimate.

"Okay, here we go. This might sting." The paramedic, who looked almost more tired than I felt, held up an antibacterial swab. I nodded, trying to mentally prepare myself. I could see out of the corner of my eye that Owen was still standing there so I focused instead on the paramedic's first name, which was embroidered into the fabric of his jacket with black thread. Arsen? What kind of a name was-

"Son of a bitch!" I yelped, my body reacting all on its own as an intense burning feeling radiated all up and down my thigh. "You said it _might_ hurt!" I cried out, fingers gripping the metal frame of the cot tightly.

The paramedic, or Arsen if that was even a real name, arched an eyebrow but didn't look sorry. Owen was suddenly crouching next to me, prying my fingers away from the cot and intertwining them around his own. "Christ, you really think I'd be okay letting you do this alone? It's okay to not be a badass sometimes." He said under his breath, using his free hand to push my hair away from my face. I tried to swat his hand away, but he gave me an amused look and grabbed onto it, keeping both my hands trapped in-between his much larger ones.

"That was the easy part so it's probably a good thing you stay here. Give her a distraction." Arsen added, arranging a tray of scary looking medical instruments on the tray next to him. My face paled as he picked up a needle. "Mild anesthetic. Should make everything else go a little easier."

"No. Nu uh." I shook my head and swallowed hard. "Can't you just slap a band-aid on it and call it a day?"

"Ry, look at me." Owen said, his voice steady and even then I didn't know if it was steady enough to keep me from running away. Annoyed and more than a little weary of the needle and what was going to come after, I hesitated a moment longer before looking at Owen. I expected to see the amused look on his face still, maybe a smug smile or something else very 'Owen-like'. Instead he was watching me with a seriousness that made my pulse feel reckless.

"You were amazing today." He said quietly. "And as sorry as I am that I somehow dragged you into, I'm glad you were there. We make a pretty good team." He added with a small smile.

"Yeah…" I agreed, and the sudden change of tone made me reel right back to what I had been thinking in the control room, what I'd been so bent on telling him. I was still too aware of the third person sitting across from me, though, to say it out loud. There was a sudden pinch as the needle slid into my leg and my entire body clenched. I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for the pain to dull before opening them again.

I sucked in a deep breath, blinking back unwanted, watery tears of pain as one half of Owen's mouth curved into a smile. "See? Not so bad. You survived hell on earth today…a shot and a couple of stitches is nothing."

"I wish it was a shot of tequila." I murmured.

Owen let out a surprise laugh, and I caught sight of the familiar spark in his blue eyes and once again the realization of how I felt about him swarmed me. I had to tell him. As soon as this was over, I would. Until then, those perfectly blue eyes were the perfect distraction.

* * *

I knew it wouldn't be long before the numbness wore off, but I tried not to think about that. It'd been hard enough avoiding watching the stitching process take place as I felt the strange, painless sensation of the needle and thread piercing my skin. Now that it was over, I had an agenda. Owen and I had agreed to split up for a few moments. He wanted to find park officials and make a statement about what we'd overheard from Hoskins. I wanted to find Claire and Violet.

I found Violet first. She was sitting on one of the benches pressed up against the wall. A blanket was wrapped around her shoulders and she was in the middle of a conversation with another park employee who looked just as dazed as everyone else in the room, wondering how the hell the day had even happened the way it had.

"Vi!"

She turned and her mouth fell open when she spotted me, the blanket dropping from her shoulders as she raced to meet me. Her arms wrapped around me and the force of her tiny body almost sent both of us falling over backwards. A surprised, relieved laugh escaped me. "You're okay!"

"Of course I am! It's you I was worried about." She rambled, pulling away. "Claire called me right before the evacuation happened and I couldn't believe it…you've been out there this whole time. You and Owen, Claire's nephews. Oh my god, I can't even imagine. You look like hell."

"I sort of feel like it too."

"Are you hurt?" She asked, stepping back and surveying me from head to toe. I'd been given a pair of generic, unisex sweatpants from the medic tent (since my jean shorts were ultimately ruined), which hid the stitches from view.

I waved my hand, giving her a small smile. "It's nothing. I'm just glad to see you."

At that moment, a frantic voice cut through the air, calling Violet's name. Her head whipped around and a cry of surprise left her lips. I tried to follow her gaze to where a girl not much older than she was, with the same dark hair, was pushing her way towards us.

"That's my sister!" Violet said, with an awe-filled grin. She gave me one last quick hug. "I'll find you again later. Promise."

Then she was gone, leaving me alone and wondering if my own family had heard the news yet and if they would be here. I scanned the crowd, searching for my dad's familiar graying head of hair and my mom's worried, pursed lipped expression. Instead, I found Claire's red hair just as she was being pulled into a hug by her own sister. She met my gaze from across the room and I smiled and waved. She gestured for me to come over, but before I could, Owen was suddenly at my side again. He looked almost anxious, running a hand through his untidy hair.

"Your parents here yet?" He asked, looking around the crowded room. I glanced back at Claire who was now eyeing Owen and I with a knowing expression. My family, though, was nowhere in sight. Probably a good thing, as I wasn't ready just yet.

"No, I haven't seen them."

I barely finished the sentence when Owen grabbed onto my hand and started tugging me away from the heart of the evacuation center and towards a vacant hallway I hadn't noticed before.

"Where the hell are we going?" I asked. I realized, though, that I didn't care as long as it meant we could be alone.

He didn't answer, instead scanning the corridor until he found an unmarked door to our right. He pushed it open and felt around the wall for a light switch. A yellow bulb flickered to light to reveal a half empty utility closet. My heart was rattling in my chest as he closed the door behind us. There wasn't much room which meant there was barely in inch or two of space between as I looked up at him, wondering what we were doing there and hoping it was for the very same reasons I'd been wanting to get him alone too.

A moment passed. He was quiet, looking thoughtful and I knew I had been right. I wasn't the only one with something heavy on my mind. I felt suddenly unnaturally shy under the intensity of his gaze. He was looking at me in _that way_ again…the way that made me feel wonderfully exposed. I knew I didn't need to hide from him. I couldn't have, even if I tried.

"You know, I'm don't know how good I am at this. I'm not even sure if I know _how_ to do this…I know all the right things to say and do up until a point, but with you everything is new." He said uncertainly, and that's when I realized that underneath the fierceness of his gaze, Owen was nervous. Nervous! For god's sake, I made him nervous! The thought caused my pulse to leap, just knowing I was capable of causing that sort of reaction in him. He paused for a moment, tugging his lower lip in between his teeth before continuing. "Remember that night in the stadium? When I told you how I never worry about the future because it's always gonna be there?"

I nodded, every inch of me tuned into him at that moment, hanging on his every word. "Of course I remember." My entire body felt alive with anticipation.

"The future has never felt like a real thing to me. Not until you. And now I can't see a future where there isn't you." Owen continued. "I don't care where the hell we go from here. Just as long as you're there because I'm crazy about you and god it's the weirdest, most irritating, amazing thing." He said softly, a small smile playing across his lips. "I've lost a lot of sleep over you, but I finally figured it out…I love you, Ry." He finished simply, shrugging his shoulders. "I think I have for a while."

Those three words sent a thrill through me, igniting me from head to toe. My heart stumbled inside my chest, my stomach dropped, and of course, as always, I felt my cheeks start to turn pink. I wanted so badly to look away so I could grin like an idiot without feeling embarrassed but at the same time I never wanted to stop looking at him. "God damn it, Owen." My voice came out as an amazed whisper.

He furrowed his eyebrows together. "I'm pretty sure you're supposed to say it back…unless you don't-"

"No!" I almost shouted at him and his expression swiftly turned amused. "I mean, yes. I mean I do!" _God, I was making an ass of myself._ "I just wanted to say it first…you can't have all the firsts! You got to kiss me first, so I felt like it was only fair if I got to say it first."

His grin grew and my heart flip flopped at the mischievous glint in his eyes. "Say what?"

I felt a grin of my own forming. I reached out and grabbed a hold of the front of his shirt, tugging him closer to me. "That I'm in love with you, Owen Grady."

He bent his head and kissed me and I sank into him, letting myself get lost in that pepperminty, earthy scent, the stubble on his jaw that tickled my skin, and the way his hands felt as they pressed against the small of my back. After an entire day of uncertainty, of not knowing what was coming next, kissing Owen felt like the most sure thing to ever happen. And as I pressed my hands against his chest and felt the rhythm of his heart beneath his shirt, I suddenly figured it out.

This was what it meant to be alive.


	25. Epilogue

I drained my third cup of coffee, still staring helplessly at the screen of my laptop. About twenty different tabs were open, which wasn't making my life any easier. The point of doing career research was to narrow it down to one or two possible options. Instead, I was just coming up with more. It didn't matter how many online career tests or Buzzfeed fortune quizzes I took...I still had no idea what the hell to do with my life.

"This is hopeless." I whined, dropping my head down onto the table top and squeezing my eyes shut.

I heard the squeak of a chair against tile before I felt Owen's hands on my shoulders, squeezing gently. "You're overthinking it. Just pick something and if you don't like it, you can always try something else. Hell, you could spend the rest of your life with a different career every five years and I wouldn't care."

I sat up and peered over my shoulder at him, giving him a doubtful look. "Maybe, but I would care. It'd be nice to pick something and be able to stick with it."

I felt his lips brush the top of my head, sending a school girl thrill to me. It was crazy that even after six months he still had the same effect on me as always.

"At least there's no rush. We could both not work for like the next ten years and still survive thanks to the Jurassic World 'sorry you almost died' severance package." He said with an impish grin.

I rolled my eyes. "That's the least they could do after that hell on earth."

I stood up from my chair, eyeing the half full coffee pot on the other side of the small kitchen in the one bedroom bungalow Owen and I were now sharing. My parents had raised eyebrows at our choice to move in together, considering I hadn't even known Owen a year ago. Which was crazy. It felt like it'd been an entire life time. Near death experiences had a way of pushing people together, though. Besides Claire, no one else in my life could really understand what had happened on that island.

I let out a squeak as Owen suddenly grabbed me around the waist, throwing me over his shoulder. "Put me down, Grady, or I swear-" My sentence was abruptly cut off as my back hit the couch and Owen's mouth swiftly pressed against mine. I felt myself flush as he lowered himself on top of me, our lips moving slowly and deliberately together.

It was over too soon and I let out a low growl as he pulled away, grinning mischievously down at me.

"Not fair." I pouted.

"Is that any way to talk to the guy providing you with a much needed distraction?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow at me. "Let me make this very clear to you again, one more time." He propped himself up on his elbows. "You are smart, beautiful, funny, and borderline aggressive when it comes to getting what you want. You'll figure it out, but there's no rush. Look at me? You really think I wanna be working in a city zoo right now?"

I shrugged. "No, but you sure do look cute in that little khaki outfit they make you wear."

"And there it is, that sarcastic Rylan bite I know and love so much." He smirked.

I ignored him. "I just don't wanna settle. I did that once before and it sucked."

"Yeah, but then you uprooted yourself, moved to an island, and met me. And we'll thrown in the whole vicious, carnivorous dinosaur thing too. You're not settling. You're doing the opposite of that by keeping your options open." He reminded me. "Would it help if I took your mind off things for a while?" He nuzzled my neck, sending a zing down my spine.

I pushed my hands up the back of his shirt. "Will you put your zookeeper outfit on first?"

He laughed in my ear. "You are mean."

His lips met mine for a second time as I inched his t-shirt further up his back and felt the heat of his skin under my fingertips. His hand slid between us and toyed with the button on my jeans. Then his cell phone began to ring shrilly from the end table.

"Let's just let it ring." He mumbled against my lips.

"What if it's important?" I heard myself say.

He seemed to think about it for a moment before letting out a groan and reaching over top of me, rummaging around the table before finding the phone. He shifted onto his side, flipping it open. "Grady."

I watched his expression as he listened to the voice on the other hand, which I could just barely hear although the words were impossible to make out. He looked impassive for a moment before his features swiftly grew dark. In a second he was off the couch, pacing the living room.

"So what the hell are you asking me to do?" He finally said, stopping to stare out of the front window, towards the sunny Florida street outside.

I sat up, my stomach suddenly twisted into an unpleasant knot. I felt like I'd swallowed a block of ice. I suddenly knew without having to ask what kind of call this was. I'd only been dreading it since we left Isla Nubar. He gave me a careful look before leaving the room and I heard him walk into the bedroom, the bed squeaking just slightly as he sat down. I felt frozen to the spot, straining my ears to hear the conversation from Owen's end, but he was now speaking in a low, hushed voice.

It wasn't until it was silent and I was sure the call had ended that I stood up and moved to the other room, leaning against the doorframe.

He was running his hands over his face, his expression monumentally different than what it had been just minutes ago. He looked grave, thoughtful. He finally glanced up at me.

"They found Dr. Wu..."

"And?" I asked. A part of me didn't want to know.

"Something very, very bad is about to happen."

Oh great.

 **Author's Note:**

 **And there it is, the end. I kept trying to add more, but the last chapter felt like a nice, rounded out perfect ending and I didn't want to ruin that. I'd love to write a sequel to this, but since I really have no idea where the next Jurassic World would go...I don't know right now! Lots of other things going on in my head.**

 **What would you guys like to see? Whether it be with Owen and Rylan, or another pairing or whatever! I want to hear thoughts, comments, questions, ideas!**

 **What do you want next from me?**


End file.
